#needless to say. he's not a big fan of his step siblings

[blorbosexterminator]

I don't know why but this has been bouncing round my head for a few hours and I need answers. Does Rafael exist in the Children of the dust universe??? And if so, does he ever meet the step children his father loves more than him? Please and thank you!

Excellent question. Here is a little bit of history. While I was writing Children, and the first season of season 5 was released, I decided to be democratic and ask readers whether they'd prefer Rafael to exist in that universe or not. Not surprisingly, the unanimous vote was Andrés-core (they didn't want him), so I didn't mention or allude to him in the main verse.

But between us, I always was fond more of the idea that he exists in that universe, mainly just because it makes everything funnier.

There is an old snippet I have somewhere in a forgotten document where Rafael does meet the twins and it's killing him because Rafael's entire worldview is that his father doesn't love him not because of any personal reason but because he's just not a father material, so he sees the twins and all of that tumbles down and his misery is very funny to me.

The bottomline answer is he exists and he doesn't depending on what we want!

(Except that if I do write the sequel and the sequel's sequel I'll have to bring Rafael into existence because I wouldn't want to make any major changes to the heist trajectory itself. Tatiana is Gabriel's piano tutor in that verse btw.)

[empressgeekt]

Trolls - Burning Branches AU part 1

Or alternate title, I have now been sucked down the sudden black hole that is this fandom and now the troll plot bunnies are running ramped around my Fanfic farm, because the creators of this franchise has added my weakness...Sibling relationships... Now I have plans for a two story saga in this fandom of which I wouldn't have glanced at with interest at all a month ago.

Well, that's enough rambling, Time to get into the meat of the fic plot.

So, while browsing on Ao3 I noticed that there was this Rock!Branch au, where Branch is separated from the pop-trolls as a kid and ends up being raised by Barb and Thrash of the Rock Trolls. I love this concept, more then some relatives of mine. But I want to put a little spin on it. I've been a big fan of amnesia/memory loss fics, and I noticed there was a lack of them in this fandom.

Brozone breaks up and Grandma dies like in canon, same old same old. However, in this AU Branch is forced to leave the Troll Tree as a kid, because there is a larger sigmatism about trolls who went grey. The Trolls are very clear that they want nothing to do with Branch. They are all already living with death at their door step and they don't need a grey child to constantly break the false image of happy paradise that the adults try to maintain in the Tree to keep themselves sane. Branch, with nothing else left for him in the tree, packs up and tries to leave to find his brothers, though he does worry if they would even want him now that he was grey.

After successfully escaping the town, (the bergens don't notice if a small troll vanishes in the middle of the night, they didn't notice the whole village packing up), Branch spends a terrifying night in the woods. Running away from what are "predator's" in the eyes of a small child. Until he accidentally, stumbles in the a wormhole. The wormhole sucks Branch away from, Pop territory to the outskirts of the Rock badlands. But in this new hot volcanic he is still far from safe. (I'm adding that their are harsh powerful dragons that roam around the Rock trolls territory, as there has to be some type of reason behind they turned their own music and instruments in the to energy weapons while the other tribes didn't. Not to mention the active volcanic activity everywhere!) While running away from some of these actual predators and dangerous lava pools, Branch gets shoved over a cliffside, and falls into one of the few rivers nearby. In the raging rapids, the little troll strikes his head against the rocky river bed. Knocking him out.

Meanwhile, Still-King Thrash is leading an expedition to the river to fetch water for the people of Volcano Rock City. Being the very soft and caring Father he is, once he sees a small child floating in the river he jumps in without a second thought, and pulls the child to the shore. He leaves the expedition in the hands of another Troll and brings the some how still alive child back to the City and into the care of a capable doctor. While waiting to hear if Branch will live, Thrash goes through the little sack the kid had with him. There's enough evidence for the king of rock to come to the conclusion that Branch was running away, and needless to say Thrash is furious. Who would be so cruel that dared to make a child in his kingdom feel so scared and unwelcomed that they would run away! (at this point due to Branch's greyness and the high emotions of the situation Thrash hasn't realized Branch is from Pop yet, not that it would matter in the long run he's still ticked off).

Eventually, the doctor (an old friend of Thrash's whom they have a deep trust between, I haven't named them yet), calls Thrash in. Thrash finds Branch unconscious on the medical bed with his head bandaged. The doctor tells Thrash that's its a miracle that Branch is even alive, but it would take a bigger one for the child to wake up. The underneath the blood of the wound was a skull fracture and possible brain damage. Then he mentions it would probably be better if Branch never woke up, and further explains Branch's nature as a pop troll, and his greyness. Thrash takes this information in with a sad heart. Stigma against pop was still running high in the Rock kingdom, despite Thrash wanting to believe his people could spare their bias to care for a wounded child, he knows that no foster family would take a pop troll in. He asks the Doctor to keep quiet about Branch, and that if the boy would wake up Thrash would take him in himself. He goes home and hugs Barb after an exhausting day, and asks her if she was open to having a little brother.

After a few weeks, Branch wakes up, but he has no memory of anything. Not his name. Not where he's from. Not how he got there. At this point the medical staff that were allowed to know about him, have taken to calling him Charcoal, or Char, after his perfectly black and shiny hair, and it just kind of stuck after that. Thrash has taken to visiting Branch, even before the boy was conscious, quickly growing fond over the boy and until he'd recovered enough to be taken to the royal cavern. Barb takes to having Char around very well. Having a younger sibling, gives her something to put her protectiveness towards. Thrash makes and announcement, claiming Char as his own to Rock, and putting the boy as second in-line for the throne.

Still it isn't all cupcakes and rainbows with Char in his new home. He has lasting effected form his head injury in the form of migraines and fainting spells. The child is plagued by nightmares, of Giants coming to eat him and old ladies. They frighten him so much he draws and designs traps and bunkers to keep himself safe. Some of the designs Thrash actually considers building in case of emergency. Music brings him to tears if it's too loud or sudden, or if Barb asked him to sing-along. His room is sound proofed, and he has a pair of headphones to block things out if needed. Thrash also finds that his new adoptive son, is far more book-smart then him or Barb, the rarely used Rock library becomes Char's second home. The child become well educated in History, engineering, math, sciences and politics.

It would take two years before, Barb managed to talk Char into coming to her music practice, where the kid learns that music is more then just noise that makes him feel scared/unsafe. Seeing the weapon music can be, something he can learn to protect himself with, Char becomes hooked on the idea of learning it. Too everyone's surprise, it comes to boy like second nature, and his voice is like that of an angel's.

Eighteen years pass, and Branch grows up to be, Prince Char, second born son to Thrash King of Rock. He's a known expert with a guitar, both as an instrument and a weapon, his reputation is that of a eerily smart and organized strategist, who is loyal to his family and people to a fault and ruthlessly protective. With Thrash's health, both physical and mental, in rapid decline, Barb is forced to take on the mantel of Queen earlier then she wanted, but this time she has a brother to lean on as an advisor. Which is a good thing, because between the two of them Char is a much better planner.

Pressure is turned up on the royal rock siblings, when an unexpected earthquake destroys the farmlands that feeds the city. Sure, volcanic soil can been great for growing plants, but rivers of lava and giant fresh trenches don't help at all. Barb flies off the handle, and begins to panic in quiet about what she needs to do to protect the people of Rock, while Char looks into historical records to see if the past king ever had to deal with issues like this. Eventually he stumbles on the knowledge that during ancient times if one of the tribes was in trouble they would call upon their sister tribes for aid.

"Oh that's great advise your books have, let's ask for help from our sworn enemies!" Barb would exclaim, "Wait...the other tribes! If they lasted as long as we did, then they must have resources! But they wouldn't help us...not unless they were just like us. We could use our string to convert..."

"Barb! I'm going to stop you right now. First one our string isn't powerful enough to over-write someone's genre, believe me I looked into it-"

"But if we get all the strings..."

"You mean steal them?"

"Yah!"

"No, if we were to fail that would only sour relations between genres further and our people would still be starving. We'd be better off forging an alliance with a tribe, rather then wasting already limited resources conquering one."

"URGH! Why are you always right....So, alliance...that's our best plan?"

"Currently yes."

"With people that hate us! Are we sure we can't conquer them?"

"Barb, were trying to make a harmony. You can't make harmony with everyone using the same voice. They all need to be different, and they all can't be forced into something they they aren't or it all falls apart."

"Whoa, that's deep. Where'd ya learn that?"

"I-I don't know...but the point still stands we need to befriend another tribe not conquer one!"

"Okay, so how do we do that?"

"Well, apparently theirs more ways then one, all of them include paper work, so leave that to me, but one of them we actually have a unique opportunity to ally with."

"Oh? And how do we take advantage of this unique opportunity?"

"You're not going to like this...but we use me..."

Branch would go on to explain his plan to ally the Rock kingdom with the Pop trolls...through an Arranged Marriage between him and the Pop princess. Barb hates it, especially after all the pop trolls did to her brother when he was young, but she can't argue the logic. The pop trolls live in a forest rich with food and plant life, and water sources. However, they have zero defenses other then how deep they live in the forest. (how he knows all of this Branch has no idea) If the alliance managed to go through, the Rock trolls could get the needed food supplies, and the Pop trolls could gain the knowledge of how to use musical weaponry.

Barb still hates it, it feels like her little brother is throwing away his future. But Char assures her that he's okay with it, and that it's his turn to take on the burden of the crown he supposed to wear. As a bio-pop troll the possibility of an heir from the alliance marriage is higher then if they use a random Rock citizen, and as Rock Prince that will give more creditably to the pleads of their people to Pop. He tells Barb to just take care of Dad when he's gone and that they always have debbie to talk to each other through letters.

So they send a message to Pop Village...requesting to consider the marriage.

At Pop village, Poppy is busy with her new duties as a fresh coronated Queen, caring for the village needs and further establishing peaceful relations with the Bergens after the fall of Chef. When the message reaches her, delivered Via Debbie and Biggie, Peppy tries to take it from her before she cane read it. And then she demands that he Explain why she just got a proposal in a letter from a Rock Prince?

Peppy reluctantly explains the history of the Tribes, and how some times they would form alliances between the genres by wedding members of the royal families together to ensure peace. He makes it very clear that He doesn't want Poppy to even think of answering the Rock trolls even if to decline the proposal, but she fights back saying hat this might be their only chance for peace between the genres for years to come if its taken this long for them to reach out this time. Peppy then tries to argue that if Poppy were to accept the proposal that she would have to marry this prince, this stranger, and he never wanted that to happen to her. He knows Poppy is queen now and he can't order her to do anything, but he asks her to think about this before making any kind of decision.

Poppy needless to say, deeply contemplates the proposal. She wants to help reunite the tribes, but bonding herself to a stranger she never met was a daunting thing. She talks with Cooper and Bridget who are surprisingly helpful with everything, and decides that she'll accept the proposal with the condition that she and her future groom have the chance to meet and get to know each other before the wedding.

Barb and Char readily accept the condition, and calculate that they can give one month of courtship before the Rock kingdom is without food. They respond back to Poppy, and tell them that Char and a few others would arrive in Pop Village a few days after she would receive the letter that confirmed the betrothal.

Char arrives at Pop Village with much fanfare from his travel companions, but shushes them quickly and addresses Poppy and Peppy in a polite manner. Poppy is kind of thrown off by how grey her future husband is, not that she shows it. Char is just as shocked about how bright and colorful she is.

The romance is awkward at first. The cultural differences get in the way sometimes. But eventually a connection is formed. Char learns to feed off of Poppy's energy and Poppy learns that there's more to this grey prince then gloom. With the wedding scheduled for the end of the month, Poppy decides to introduce Char to her BFF Bridget.

Needless to say, it doesn't go well.

Char's underlaying trauma comes back in a panic attack and flashback upon seeing the Troll Tree and bergens. The memory of his Grandmother's demise suddenly becoming clear as day in his mind. In the panic he accidently fires his guitar at Grisle and Bridget, with makes Poppy panic and angry at him. So he runs off into the woods.

Bridget and Poppy end up having a heart to heart where Bridget says that Char looked scared. Having heard about how Char was acutualy a pop-troll and was adopted into the royal family, Poppy connects the dots rather quickly. Realizing that Char used to live in the Troll Tree but didn't escape with the others. the whole visit was triggering for him.

She runs back to Pop Village looking forh im, only to find that Queen Barb had arrived to help set up the wedding, and she wants to know where her Brother is. Poppy blurts out what happened while trying to defuse the situation, and that only serves to rile Barb up further. Until Poppy snaps, yellling at Barb that they need to go looking for Char not fight here! This impresses Barb into agreeing.

Poppy finds him and they end up having a heart to heart, and confessing...

The wedding goes on as planned. On the neutral ground of the Troll Tree, allowing Char to visit his late Grandmother's home for the first time in twenty years.

All seems well...Until one John Dory screams, "Stop the Wedding!"

...

I will post part two in a separate post because this is long!

Part two, and Part three

Edit: The prolog for this fic, which is basically Char's child hood is now posted on Ao3. Link

[theostrophywife]

I love your Ithan fic and I was wondering if you would be willing to write a Ruhn fic where the reader is sister's with Ithan (there's no being engaged to Hypaxia), and the two get together when Ithan and Bryce reconnect and it's fluffy and little smutty? Sorry if this doesn't make sense. Thank you

sweet like candy.

author's note: when i tell y'all that i'm on my knees for ruhn danaan, crown prince of the valbaran fae...whew. 🥵🥵🥵

Do you want to get out of here?

Ruhn’s voice purrs into your thoughts. His suggestive tone pulls your attention away from your conversation with Bryce and Hunt as you stare at your boyfriend from across the room. 

Flanked by Dec and Flynn, Ruhn raises a brow at you from the couch. A cloud of mist swirls around your three favorite males as your boyfriend blows a ring of smoke in the air. The stench of mirthroot clings to every surface in the tiny living room, which was even more crowded than usual since Flynn thought it was a great idea to invite what seemed like the entire population of Crescent City into your home.

You chuckle, shaking your head. Ruhn pouts as you lower your mental shield. Isn’t it rude to leave your own party?

We wouldn’t technically be leaving, your boyfriend says with a sly smile. Just going upstairs and having a party of our own.

A shiver of anticipation skirts up your spine. Well, when you put it like that…

“You two are adorable,” Bryce cuts in. She flips her long red hair behind her shoulder, shooting a knowing look between you and her older brother.

You blink, almost forgetting about everything that wasn’t Ruhn. Right. You were actively having a conversation before your boyfriend distracted you. 

“Try disgusting,” Ithan cuts in. Your older brother states, blanching. “Living with these two is almost as bad as my stay at the Bryce and Hunt sex villa.” 

Bryce snorts as you roll your eyes. “I thought you were the Crown Prince of the Valbaran Fae’s number one fan.”

“Not when he’s dating my baby sister,” Ithan responds with a grimace. 

“Such an alphahole,” you mutter in annoyance. Despite the comment, you find yourself smiling. You and Ithan were incredibly close, given all that you’ve been through as siblings and he was incredibly protective of you. As wolves, you were both fiercely loyal and stubborn to a fault. 

When Sabine kicked him out of the Den, you were out on a mission away from Lunathion and you thanked Urd that Bryce had taken him in after Perry dropped him off nearly beaten to a pulp. You weren't sure what you would've done if you'd lost another brother. Needless to say, you went into a rage upon your return. None of the other wolves had ever seen you so angry and completely, utterly, out of your mind when you attacked the Prime Apparent in retaliation to what she'd done to your brother. Sabine may have been stronger than you, but you would've torn her apart for nearly taking Ithan away from you too. The grief of losing Conner wasn't something you wanted to live through again.

Luckily, Ithan was there to intervene. Along with his newfound group of friends that took you in just as they had done for him. 

It wasn’t that big of an adjustment to live with four males since you grew up with Ithan and Connor, but Declan and Flynn had a harder time adjusting. The two Fae males weren’t used to adhering to any semblance of order. They would never admit it, but the changes you’d implemented around the house, including coming up with a rotating chore schedule and weekly grocery trips so that you had something other than beer and pizza in the fridge greatly improved their lives. 

Flynn often called you a bossy know-it-all and while Dec complained about the incessant bickering between you and the Fae lord, they both warmed up to you rather quickly. Mostly because they've never seen anyone put Ruhn in his place quite like you did.

The Crown Prince didn't mind that you made him take his boots off before stepping on the brand new pink rug that you insisted added warmth to the living room or that he couldn’t drink milk right out of the carton anymore without receiving a swat on the back of the head. Ruhn didn’t even bat an eyelash when you switched the channel from the sunball game to one of those trashy reality shows that you seemed to love so much, despite his roommate’s protests. 

Most of all, Ruhn loved that you didn’t seem to give a shit that he was the Starborn Prince. You still yelled at him when he ate your leftovers or used up the fancy shampoo that you and Flynn hoarded like gold. And he loved every second of it.

Hunt nudges you with his wing. “I, for one, am glad that you two are dating,” the angel states. “You put Danaan in his place like no one’s business.”

A tattooed arm slinks over your shoulder, pulling you close. “And here I thought we were becoming friends, Athalar.”

The Umbra Mortis chuckles. “Doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy a tiny little thing like her knocking you down a few pegs.”

Bryce grins as she surveys the absolute love struck look on her brother’s face. “Agreed, Athalar. It’s about damn time that my brother got a love life of his own, so he can stay out of mine.”

“Speaking of my love life.” Ruhn starts, nudging your hip with his. “It’s time we bow out of this party.” 

“We have an early start tomorrow and someone turns into a grumpy little wolf when they don’t get enough sleep.” Your boyfriend teases, smoothly providing an alibi for you two to sneak off to his room. 

“Seriously?” Flynn asks with a groan. “Little wolf really sank her claws into you huh, Danaan? You’re so unbelievably whipped.”

Ruhn only chuckles. “You would be too if you were lucky enough to have her as your girlfriend.”

You scrunch your nose. “I think I’d take my chances with the dragon.” 

With a bevy of laughter and a huff of annoyance from the lordling, you wave to your friends as Ruhn ushers you upstairs. 

As soon as the door shuts behind you, Ruhn’s mouth is on yours. You giggle, smiling into the kiss as your boyfriend leads you to the bed. Your knees hit the edge of the mattress as Ruhn carefully sets you down, his raven hair cascading over you like a dark curtain while he deepens the kiss. The guttural sound he releases when your tongue sweeps past his parted lips makes your head spin with desire. 

“You taste like cherries,” you murmur, taking his bottom lip between your teeth. Flicking your tongue through his lip ring was Ruhn’s invitation to unleash himself on you.

“Flynn made me try one of his fancy little cocktails again,” he replies absentmindedly, lifting the hem of your shirt and pressing kisses into your overheated skin. Ruhn pulls it over your head before moving downwards to slide his hands up your skirt. He crumples the fabric up between his fingers before taking the lace of your panties between his teeth. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll taste like you soon enough.” 

The predatory smirk he flashes your way sends a shiver down your spine as Ruhn’s head disappears between your thighs. He lets out a pleased hum when he finds you wet and soaking for him, ready for his tongue to be buried between your slick folds. 

Ruhn grips your hips, holding you down as he slowly licks a stripe through your soaking core. “Hang on tight, baby.” 

That’s the only warning you get before his wicked tongue threatens to unravel you. Ruhn grunts as you buck against his mouth, your slender fingers tugging at his hair roughly. He loved making you needy and desperate. The bossy wolf tamed into a mewling pup with just the flick of his tongue. 

Your boyfriend eats you out like it’s his sole mission in life, making you moan and writhe underneath him as he slides a finger inside of you. Judging by the way your thighs clench around him, Ruhn takes it as a signal to slip both his index and middle finger inside you, curving to touch that spongy spot atop your walls. 

“I can tell you’re about to cum, but can you do something for me, little pup?” Ruhn asks from between your legs. 

You nod, barely forming coherent thoughts from the pleasure he was giving you. “Anything, Ruhn.” 

“I want you to ride my face, sweetheart.” 

Your eyes flutter open. “What if I’m too heavy? I—I don’t want to crush you.” 

Ruhn squeezes your hip gently. “You won’t. Trust me baby, I can handle it.” 

You shift, putting your weight on your elbows. This was new territory for you. You weren’t by any means inexperienced, but no male had ever asked you to sit on their face. Then again, no male ever ate your pussy with as much enthusiasm and expertise as Ruhn did. It always surprised you how attentive your boyfriend was. Whether you were in or out of the bedroom, Ruhn always made sure to put you first.

“Are you sure?” 

“Absolutely positive.” Your boyfriend reassures you with a gentle kiss. Ruhn lies on his back, grinning as he pulls you by the wrist. “Don’t be shy, baby. Come get on top of me.” 

Despite your uncertainty, you’re more than happy to oblige him. Ruhn watches as you straddle his stomach, inching higher and higher until both of your thighs are settled on either side of his face. He twines your fingers together, kissing your knuckles before placing your hands on the wooden headboard. 

“Hold on to the headboard, sweetheart.” 

His voice is laced with sensual promise and you can’t help but whimper as his large hands clamp down on the tops of your thighs, firmly positioning you over his face like it was your own personal throne. You slightly hover above him as though you were still scared that he wouldn’t be able to handle all of you. 

“All the way, baby. I want to feel all of you.”

Slowly, but surely, you put all of your weight on Ruhn and he groans in pleasure, continuing his feast like eating your pussy was his favorite thing in the world. The worry of crushing your boyfriend soon dissipates as he works you with his tongue. It feels good, so good that you find yourself gripping the headboard for support while you ride his face. 

Despite having his mouth full, Ruhn finds another way to let you know just how much he enjoys your enthusiasm.

There’s a good girl. Keep riding my face just like that, sweetheart.

“Burning fucking Solas,” you mutter under your breath. “That feels so good. Don’t stop, Ruhn.”

Ruhn moans at the desperation in your voice, circling your clit with his tongue and flicking faster and faster as you buck against his sharp jaw. 

Gonna cum for me, sweet girl? Go on, then. I want to taste you on my tongue.

The words send you over the edge and you cum hard, squirting into Ruhn’s mouth while he laps up your juices. Soft moans slip past your lips almost reverently as your boyfriend licks up every last drop. The orgasm racks through your entire body and you crumple into Ruhn’s arms. He strokes your hair before kissing you softly, the taste of you coating his tongue. 

Your eyes flutter open, finding his loving gaze already fixated on you. “Was that your first time squirting?” he asks gently. 

Heat travels up your cheeks. You were so busy chasing after yours that you didn’t even realize what you’d done. “I—I’m so sorry. I’ve never done that before. Everything just happened so fast—”

Ruhn cuts you off with a kiss. When he pulls away, there’s nothing but care and appreciation in his eyes. “Don’t be sorry. I loved it. You taste sweet like candy.” He caresses your cheek, tracing the outline of your lips. “Did you like it?” 

“Are you kidding? It was fucking amazing.” Ruhn chuckles as you wrap your arms around his neck. “You’re fucking amazing, Ruhn.” 

You kiss him, slow and deep, showing him just how much you appreciated every part of him. Ruhn was the best boyfriend any female could ever ask for. He was kind, thoughtful, loyal and a top notch lay. You made sure to convey that last part out loud. 

“You’ve been hanging around Flynn too much,” he says with an amused chuckle. “Now c’mere, sweetheart. I’m trying to add excellent cuddler to the list as well.” 

You sigh happily as Ruhn wraps you into his arms, pulling you close and kissing your temple. “Consider it done.” 

[primelight]

WNM: Time Loop Ethics and Keira (Mild Spoilers)

Uh, yep, long time no write. Bad Lightpoint. Basically I got smacked with the 'WHAT IF THE DLC NUKES MY LORE' thing (and the fact that there are a lot of moving pieces) so I had to take a step back for my own peace of mind. So into the DLC waiting room I went. I got hit by the Baldur's Gate 3 bug, like many Soulsborne people lol. I have 1 fic simmering for BG3 (and the dove is so, so dead in it), but while I DO love that game, it's not 'I'm going to write a 200k word fic' love.

I also haven't abandoned 'Maidens.' My brain keeps turning it over and over. ER's sucking me back into its majesty too, ironically via miniature painting...I got my hands on fan-made Malenia, Morgott, and Mohg models (and 5 Crucible Knights), and dammit the rabbit hole is still very much open for business. I'll post pics, maybe, when I'm satisfied with the final products.

Now, on to the point of this post. Like I said, 'Who Needs Maidens' keeps simmering in the back of my mind, and boss music keeps playing in my head whenever I paint Malenia and Morgott (Mohg's coming out of his bubble wrap when I finish his siblings lol). So when I stumbled over a fic with a time loop as the primary problem, I started thinking. And thinking. And THINKING.

You see, time loop ethical considerations are a CRITICAL driving force behind Keira's activities and relationships. More beneath the cut. Minor spoilers, and in a follow-on post I'll do a small excerpt from WAY ahead of the current chapter as an example of what's going on under the proverbial hood.

TL;DR: She's trying to save everyone while not manipulating the fuck out of everyone in the process. It's a fine ethical line to walk, especially where romance and friendships are concerned.

The musings on the TL;DR are under the cut.

By the time WNM starts, Keira's experienced several hundred loops. She started out at the absolute bottom of the barrel, and could barely lift a sword. She didn't manage to actually find all the non-mandatory NPCs and bosses for a long, long time because welp, the Lands Between are big.

Keep in mind that the Lands Between is basically a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Everyone is inches from death and madness. Safety is rare, but actual human connection is almost nonexistent. Trust has to be earned, and holy shit it's always an uphill battle. Needless to say, 'we could die tomorrow, we must seize the day' situations happen.

The above is part of why a lot of Tarnished are DTF with very little encouragement.

Eventually Keira got strong enough to kick a reasonable amount of ass, and got some actual friends along the way. The Plan became to keep as many of them alive and happy (as happy as one can be in ER) as possible.

Some attempts at a 'perfect run' have crashed and burned. Other attempts at a perfect run went beautifully, only for her to wake up once again in the Chapel of Anticipation, a stranger to everyone she loves.

None of her wins were enough to break the loop.

For a time, Keira tried her damndest to haul everyone to safety and friendship. She tried to re-create the bonds she'd forged from loop to loop to loop, because she feared she was staring down infinity alone.

The problem there is that if she tried to recreate what she had with, say, Diallos in cycle 45 with Diallos in cycle 46, they wouldn't be on an equal playing field. Not only would she (probably) have to lie about the time loop, she's got way more information about Diallos 46's loves, fears, motivations, and dreams than he has of hers. There's an emotional power gap there, and massive manipulation potential.

Also, Keira in cycle 46 isn't the same person she was in cycle 45. Diallos 45's Keira is just as gone as he is.

One of the reasons I started this fic was to consider if there was an ethical way to have that sort of relationship. This applies to both platonic and romantic relationships.

It's a fine line to walk. It's not IMPOSSIBLE to have a close relationship with someone over multiple time loops, but yeah, it's a really, really thin ethical line that could potentially be crossed by accident. Which Keira did, without malicious intent. She's not someone who relishes that kind of power.

Keira's mind...cracked a few times once the implications hit. Repeatedly losing people you care about can do that. Throw in the realization that you might have to be even MORE alone than you already are...well...

Spoiler#1, see bottom.

And thus...Keira is now trying to walk that ethical line. Despite everything, she still cares about her friends, but she knows that their relationships aren't going to be the same. Her people deserve a chance to do their thing on their own, and if it doesn't involve her, that's just the way it is.

That's why she...hovers. So far Keira's sexual encounters have been pretty emotionally superficial. She is trying to save her friends and connect with the people she cares about. She's also trying to pull it off without becoming a total puppet master. It's a fine line to walk.

And at some point, the cycles have to end.

Speaking of which, there's still a random factor in play. There are 1. simply too many variables for her to be omniscient or have complete control and Spoiler#2, see bottom.

Here's some rationale:

Patches:

It's Patches. Anything involving Patches is probably ill-advised. The knowledge gap is her being aware that he's obsessed with Tanith, but is still down for action. And will probably try to steal all her stuff if he can. He's safely at arms length.

Bernahl:

Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland Post-Battle Horniness Trope. She knows that he's from the Volcano Manor (obviously), and knows that he's been pretty fucked over by the whole Tarnished thing, too. All she does is answer his questions honestly. And flirts. And bails before he wakes up.

Side note: He was her first. That one-shot is like 75% done.

Blaidd:

The current 'canon' status of their relationship is circumstantial allies. He's starting to get some questions about her behavior, and is rather attracted to her, but it's not enough to distract him from his mission. He is ALL about Ranni, and Keira is trying her damndest to not mess that up. But what happens at the Radahn Festival stays at the Radahn Festival.

Blackguard Big Boggart:

Keira's wavering on that ethical line in Boggart's chapters, but IMHO has managed to stay upright. The knowledge gap is that she knows that flirting is effective, and that it's been awhile since he's been that close to someone who wasn't trying to kill him. This is one of those encounters that sometimes ends with nookie, and sometimes doesn't (random factor). She also knows that he's pretty down for casual, but friendly, encounters in general, so it's not going to have a huge impact on his heart.

She almost fell off the proverbial tightrope when Morgott showed up unexpectedly (that 'YOU CANNOT DIE' line). The Plan is still to keep as many of Her People alive as possible, because WHAT IF THIS IS THE LAST LOOP. Fortunately she had a lot of Jar Cannons xD

Rogier and Darian:

Keira is being really, really careful to be incidental to their relationship. Well, not incidental, exactly, but she has no plans to be the permanent filling in that sandwich. Carpe diem was VERY much involved with that episode.

Maliketh:

He's starting to remember the past loops. Blame Faram Azula timey-wimey fuckery. They also got it on in the past. Expect that shoe to drop after she gets the 'noble blood' from Varre. Which leads me to...

Varre:

She just deadass hates him at this point, for both all the Omen blood injections and the whole blood cult murder stuff. Yep, they've fucked, and there's no love lost there. This is touched on in '50 First Steps.' Expect THAT shoe to drop after the Radahn festival. I'll add the warnings/descriptions at the end of each Varre/Blood related chapter. He's a walking warning, tho.

Note that there are a few people paired with her that I haven't included on this list. That'd be big spoilers xD

TL;DR: She's trying to save everyone while not manipulating the fuck out of everyone in the process. It's a fine ethical line to walk.

Spoilers below...

...

...

Spoiler#1: The Frenzied Flame didn't work.

Spoiler#2: She's not the only person aware of the loops. I don't mean Maliketh, either.

[envoy-of-the-system]

Fuck it, we vent. That's what I made the account for (besides sharing my OC metaverse), right?

I recently graduated high school, but unlike most Americans my age, I actually went to five different schools. My parents work for the foreign service, so I never really stayed anywhere that long. Tenth grade was my first time being in a school with actual people besides my siblings for the first time in two years, since I had gone into homeschooling (kinda) for 8th grade and then...well...COVID was with me for all of 9th grade.

Needless to say, it was a big moment, and in addition to all the friends I made that first year, I also discovered something every young man should have the honor and pleasure of experiencing at least once:

Attractive people the same age as you that you're friends with.

I had a few friends like that my first year, two girls and a guy (yeah we Pan with this one). The guy was in the year above me though, and moved away after the first year. That was rough, and the first girl...well, we just ended up being friends. There wasn't enough middle ground for me to really engage. But the third one...let's call her Katy.

Katy was kind, strong of character, beautiful, and had a fanTAStic singing voice. She was in my band class and PE, and sat at the group table. In the first year, I asked her to the Valentine's dance, at which point I ran into my first emotional red flag (again, this was more of a red flag for my own health, rather than a reflection of her personality, because she [while not perfect] was amazing): she was already in love with my best friend.

Now ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem, but my best friend was a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and his father...wasn't exactly a fan of the idea of him dating. I mean, I don't blame Katy, (we'll call him) Don was a strapping young man who was witty, fit, did bikes and woodcarving for fun, and always walked with a little swagger in his step, but not in a cocky way. More like a "life's going great and there's nothing you can do about it" way. You know the type. He also whistles in-tune, which is a feat in and of itself, but that's besides the point.

So there we were, caught in this awkward high school love triangle bullshit. And despite all evidence to the contrary, my heart still belonged to Katy. I couldn't help it. I had fallen hard, I was down bad, and there was no getting back up. This was an entirely new feeling, and it was crazy! Poets and writers often compair love to flames, and I had always been skeptical of that description until it actually HIT me full-force and I was like "holy shit they were right!!" This went on for about the rest of the school year, but I succeeded in not letting my love for Katy get in the way of our friendship.

And then Don announced that he was leaving.

Y'see, Don was also a foreign service kid, and his post time had started two years before mine. Since the place we were living was a 3-year post, my first was his last. Understandably, Katy and I were sad, her maybe a little (lot) moreso. And I still feel disgusted with myself to this day, but some small, envious part of me fueled a black hope that now that Don was out of the way I could take a proper shot at Katy. And you know the damnedest thing?

It was right.

11th grade rolls around, the guy is gone and the other girl is dating another classmate (I don't really care at that point, like I said before it wouldn't have worked out). Katy and I are getting along fine, with the exception that now I'm not in band class, because I've started doing the two-year college prep program they had, and that means I can't do the school-funded extra classes like band or computer science, or PE. But despite that, I still found and made time to talk to and hang out with Katy. Eventually, I almost felt like she was warming up to me, since our brief exchanges of physical contact were increasing in frequency.

There's three things we need to acknowledge before we move forwards though:

1. Katy was Asexual

2. One of my primary love languages is physical touch.

3. The FUCKING NEW GUY.

Listen chat, I knew I was cooked when Katy TOLD me that they had KNOWN EACH OTHER from a different POST. Now at first it didn't seem like a huge problem, but I was still wary. Life was good though, and there weren't any clouds on the horizon. Then I made some bad decisions I probably shouldn't've made, and that came crashing down. I was too short-sighted, and even though I never asked or confirmed anything, I still think about the moment that Katy found out, and can't help but feel I betrayed her in some way. The worst part is I never even apologized.

That was right before winter break of 11th grade. When we got back, in the first week during lunch (because we always stood together in the lunch line) Katy tells me she's dating The New Guy.

And then my world dropped out from under me.

I had sort of seen this coming, but to have my anxieties confirmed in the worst way possible was not helping my mental state, which was already sort of stressed from the college classes.

And despite all that, I still loved her.

I was a fool.

They dated for a few months before breaking up, and The New Guy dumped HER, his reason being he just "didn't love her anymore." Now I know that under normal circumstances that would be a normal excuse, but ofc me being me I was outraged.

So being the lovesick idiot I am, I thought that if I simply rode this out I could score points. Instead, she only became more isolated and distant from everyone, at least for the rest of the semester. I tried to talk to her about it, but after a certain point I recognized that prodding would only make it worse.

Senior year, and I was seeing less and less of her and more and more of my work. I spent almost no time of the breaks outside the classroom where before I would actively look for her and walk her to class (something she vocally appreciated). I still stood with her in the lunch line, but as the gap between when I arrived at the mess and when she arrived at the mess widened, even that dropped away.

And I still. Loved her. Glimpses or short conversations were the highlight of my day, but we had so little middle ground at this point that they were always painfully short. Eventually I even just stopped engaging entirely, settling for a wave. Then one day while doing art for my final exhibition (minimum of 4 art pieces, I was doing 6 but it was technically 8 because the final piece was a triptych), this song (the song from the beginning of the post, remember that??) came one. Well, rather it was the Good Kid cover. I wasn't even aware that it was a cover, it sounded so much like Good Kid 😂

"What's a girl to do?"

That line resonated with me, for some reason. I mean the whole song sent me into a feels-spiral that almost had me in tears in the middle of class, but that line touched me in particular, and I think it was because it was a question, and it also implies that the singer (and by association me) is in a helpless situation. But I wasn't. If I couldn't be her lover, then I was gonna be her friend and bury my love deep down inside and try to ignore it (I couldn't, but it helped). I re-engaged in all the old things, and just generally tried to build that bridge again. By the time the second semester rolled around, it was like night and day, and I was in tenth grade again.

And then senior prom.

For context, the school had two major dances: the winter formal, and prom. At each previous exchange, we had always danced l, so I always looked forwards to the major events. The highest my love ever felt, the brightest I ever burned, was always in those two minutes where I could hold her with music, and enjoy the two things I loved most deeply in the world at the same time. But senior prom was different...from the start (pfft- I'm sorry 😂). For one, I was FINALLY involved in theme picking, since as a senior we were allowed to give the prom committee ideas, and were the ultimate democratic judge of the party's theme. It ended up being "starry night," which I think was named for space, not the Van Gough painting, but even if it was, I wanted to go with space anyway. As a result, I wanted to do something bold, go out with a bang. I was gonna dye my hair.

Now some of you reading may be going "whoa, so dramatic!!" but for me it was a pretty big deal. It was something I had always teetered on the edge of, but had never really quite gotten around to doing it. Add that on to the fact that every person with dyed hair/hair stylist that spoke English I ever met always told me that my shade of blonde was PERFECT for dying hair, and you'd have thought that I would've done it sooner. There was one problem though: the country I was living in had basically no FUN hair dye. What dye they did have was hard to find and only in normal hair colors. I wanted SPACE hair. That meant (for me) blue, purple, and red. It was mock exam season when I told Katy my plan, and both mock exam season and normal exam season are both off-timetable, so if you didn't have a test, you didn't need to come to school. That effectively meant that there were some days that it was just Katy and I at the table, and it was one of those days that she spoke an arrangement of words that threw senior pr into a whole new light.

"We could do it together!"

I struggled very hard to keep my cool for the rest of the conversation. Her sister (who had graduated last year) would be in town at the time of prom, so she could bring colors from the US. Great! And then the plan was set: I would go to her house to get ready, we would get our hair dyed, and then her mom (who was my guidance counselor, college coach, and also just a good friend at this point) would drive us to prom.

UNDERSTANDABLY, I WAS FREAKING OUT JUST A LITTLE BIT.

My biggest question was "is this a date," and after consulting with my sibling (who happens to be on this platform but whom I will not out) we decided that while it might look that way, she probably didn't consider it that. It was SOMETHING, but it was too little too late, and not enough.

Mocks came and went. Real exams came and went.

Small anecdote: while I was chilling for the first week of final exams (because the classes I picked got me NO EXAMS THE FIRST WEEK, HAHA), I got a text from my sibling saying that Katy had sat down at their table, and had said the words "I feel so lost without [MEEEEEE]!" I had originally not been coming to school because the food at home was simply better, but after that I started waking up at 6:45 to get to the 7:20 bus again like everyone else in my house. Worth it.

So anyway, prom day arrives. I had roller hockey the same day, so they let me use their shower before I got dressed. My dad had paid for a fitted suit, so I was pretty dripped out. We dyed hair before dressing, her all blue and me...well, all the colors 😂

Once I was dressed Katy disappeared and I took the opportunity to pounce upon their full-size keyboard like an eager child (as I had done every time I was at their house. My keyboard is missing a full octave on each end, and it can be painful sometimes to miss a piece by ONE FUCKING NOTE). I played Once Upon a Time and Fallen Down by Toby Fox, and then I played Zelda's Lullaby. And then I played the title theme from OMORI. I couldn't help but feel like my hands were trying to tell me something...and then Katy came out in her dress and my mind pulled a blank. She really was a rare creature.

So we went to prom, and we danced, and we partied, and it was fun!

And then the slow dance. That was the most perfect moment of my life, and it continues to go unmatched, because we sang. Together. One of my secret hopes and dreams had come true at the height of my emotional vulnerability, and it was perfect. Ever since I heard her being the first time, I had always wanted to sing together. She was a beautiful soprano, like silk ribbons. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty mean baritone/tenor when I want to be, and I'm that moment I wanted to. The song, I will not disclose. It was a moment for her and I, and you were not present nor were you invited.

After the slow dance, I asked her if she knew a song by the name of From the Start by Good Kid, as kind of a one-off question. To my surprise, she answered yes, but not by Good Kid. Then she took my outside away from the crowd noise, and sang the original, and that's when I cried.

Not long after I graduated, and not long after that the last day of school rolled around and we said goodbye. After three years of being quiet, I finally told her I loved her, in no uncertain terms. She said she knew, and I already knew she knew, but I wanted to say it. Just once.

After that I saw her for the last time, and boarded the bus. At that point, all the going-away parties and whatnot had already happened so it really was the last time we would ever see each other.

"But what about social media," you might be asking. And while it's true I do have means of contacting her...I don't want to. This love was...deep, and dismantling it and moving on will take time. Holding onto the connection will only make that harder, and I told her all this at the bus lot, and she understood. She still reached out back in July, but I only replied in very brief (but friendly) messages. I also reiterated my no-contact decision, and I haven't heard anything since.

And now, finally, we arrive back at the song at the top of the post. A random recommendation by YouTube, but a beautifully funded version of both the original and GK cover of From the Start, and as I listened mine and Katy's relationship flashed before my eyes, and suddenly all the feels were back.

What's the moral? Don't wait. Go get 'em. The worst they can do is say no and then, at least, you don't have to live in uncertainty.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Good night.

[rookie-critic]

Rookie-Critic's Film Review Weekend Wrap-Up - Week of 4/24-4/30/2023

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019, dir. David Leitch) This was a good off-shoot for the F&F series. The Rock & Jason Statham feel comfortable as the titular duo and have excellent on-screen chemistry, and the action feels clean and exciting, which is no surprise considering the film was directed by John Wick-veteran David Leitch, who fits the franchise like a glove. I really enjoyed all of the climactic fight scenes with Hobbs' family in Samoa. Honestly, the more Cliff Curtis can be in major feature films, the better. Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby also make for great additions to the growing franchise. It never really blew my mind like some of the mainline Fast films have, but I don't think it was really trying to. Sometimes a movie is just good, dumb, clean fun, and that's perfectly alright with me. I just hate that this film (along with a multitude of other behind-the-scenes reasons) means that we probably won't be seeing Luke Hobbs in any of the remaining Fast movies.

Score: 7/10

Currently available to rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD through Universal Studios.

F9: The Fast Saga (2021, dir. Justin Lin) After the wholly disappointing and, frankly, upsetting misstep that was The Fate of the Furious, I was curious to see if F9 would continue the downward trend, or if it would step its game up to bring some of the franchise's former glory back. When in doubt, trust in Justin Lin, who comes swooping back into the franchise for the first time since Fast & Furious 6 to save the day, with fan favorite character Han Lue in tow. This is biggest, wildest fast film yet, and I mean that as a compliment. That's not to say that it's the best (that honor is still held by Fast Five), but it does return a lot of the wonder and sincerity that Five, Six, and (to a lesser extent) Seven had. Not to mention that it is the first film in the franchise to incorporate Sean, Twinkie, and Earl from Tokyo Drift into the family in a major way since Tokyo Drift (if you don't count a tiny cameo from Lucas Black's Sean in Furious 7). Nothing about F9 feels as baseline or low-effort as the stuff in Fate did. Even the introduction of a mysterious third Toretto sibling that, for some reason, we hadn't heard about for the past eight films feels out of place or shoehorned in. Needless to say, where Fate of the Furious had me wondering if the franchise was receding in quality, F9 has me just as pumped to go see Fast X in May as I was after watching Fast Five.

Score: 8/10

Currently streaming on HBO Max.

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023, dir. Guy Ritchie) I went into this with a lot of apprehension. I was not a huge fan of the last Guy Ritchie film that tried to take a more serious approach to its tone (2021's Wrath of Man). It had a lot of grandstanding machismo bullshit that I hate to see in modern filmmaking. However, Ritchie really surprised me with The Covenant. He has Jake Gyllenhaal acting at the top of his game here with an equally impressive turn from Dar Salim as Ahmed the interpreter. While the story is fiction, it highlights a huge problem in the aftermath of the War on Terror: thousands of Afghani interpreters were hired by the U.S. military and promised special immigration visas for their service; a promise that turned out to be hollow. It sends its message without grandstanding and is critical of the U.S. military without putting itself on a soapbox. The film does tend to get overly self-indulgent during big sweeping climactic scenes and in certain emotional ones, as well. It's the one thing about the film that feels out of place, but even in spite of that, The Covenant is an excellent film and proof that Ritchie is capable of making a more serious-minded, message-oriented film than the humorous heist or caper films he's known for.

Score: 8/10

Currently only in theaters.

Chevalier (2023, dir. Stephen Williams) I'll just say up front that my bias might show a little in my scoring of this one. I have never been the biggest fan of 16-1800's period pieces. I'm not sure what it is, but something about them has just never gelled with me. That being said, there's nothing really wrong with Chevalier. In fact, it is, in my opinion, much better than the average film of this sensibility. The acting is fantastic and it sheds light on an oft-overlook but quintessentially influential figure in both classical music and the French revolution. The music is a huge plus in the film's favor, of course, and the costumes are, as is the case with most film's set in this era, masterfully crafted. I think my biggest qualm with the film is that it stops right as the French revolution is getting started and then tells the audience that Chevalier went on to be a great leader during the Revolution. Maybe it's just me, but I think that sounds interesting enough to make it's own film about. This almost makes me wonder (and I don't ever really feel this way about films) if this would have been better suited as an 6-8 episode miniseries as opposed to a film. We still could have focused a 2-3 episodes on Chevalier's childhood and young adulthood in France's pre-Revolution music scene, but then dedicated an entire half of the show to his accomplishments during the Revolution. Regardless, I don't want that to take away from the fact the Chevalier was quite good, and definitely worth the ticket price. I just think more could have been done with the wealth of untold history that exists within the lifetime of this figure.

Score: 7/10

Currently only in theaters.

Polite Society (2023, dir. Nida Manzoor) This movie absolutely ruled. It gave me all of the frenetic energy of the best Edgar Wright films while also giving me the genre-bending and jaw-dropping off-the-wall attitude of something like Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. This was a film that wasn't afraid to go for it in every way, shape, and form. From campy-but-well-choreographed fight sequences, to plot twist that twist so hard they'll make your head spin, to an unabashed approach to a female-empowerment narrative. Not to mention a story that is very uniquely Indian that touches on the nature of arranged marriages and classicism. Polite Society had everything that I look for in a film, and is a very early contender for the best of 2023 list. I'll save some of my more in-depth thoughts on stuff like the acting, writing, and cinematography for this week's full-length, but just know that if anything I've mentioned above sounds even remotely interesting, make this a priority watch (I don't want to say definitively that this is the best of the weekend's new movies because I haven't seen Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret yet, and I hear that is pretty amazing, as well).

Score: 10/10

Currently only in theaters.

A Good Man (2014, dir. Keoni Waxman) Yikes. Just... yikes. Friday movie nights with my college friends can get pretty wild sometimes. I've never seen a Steven Seagal film before, and maybe this wasn't the best one to start with (or, inversely, maybe it's the best one to start with). Seagal is clearly past his prime here (or, again, maybe in his prime, depending on your perspective), and looks like he's constantly on the verge of passing out. His words come out slurred and mumbled like he's on his deathbed, and his "action" in the film is cut around so heavily you really never see him actually do anything. The story is non-existent and the writing contains some of the most unintentionally hilarious one-liners I have ever heard in my entire life (I'm partial to the one where Seagal utters the baffling sentence "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, because now I'll snatch every motherfucker birthday." No, there's no typo there, that is verbatim what he says. My meme review is that this is great. Real "The Room" caliber stuff, here. My actual review is that obviously Seagal is a lunatic that is just self-funding whatever production he can fart out in an afternoon at this point. Honestly, if you want some quality takes on this, visit the Letterbox'd page.

Score: 1/10

Currently streaming for free with ads on Redbox. Tzi Ma should be above stuff like this.

Sisu (2023, dir. Jalmari Helander) I really wanted to love Sisu. I'm as much a fan of mindless action movies as the next guy, but the truth is I thought it was just ok. It delivers on exactly what it promised everyone in the trailers, one-man army kills the crap out of some Nazis for 91 minutes, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. There are a handful of really fun set pieces and lots of entertaining gore for fans of that kind of thing, but it just felt incredibly hollow. There are no characters in Sisu, only templates of archetypes that things happen to. No one learns anything, there's no journey to be had, merely an avatar quickly making his way through bodies to get to a destination. I'm not implying that every single movie needs to have some grand, elaborate story with deep and complex characters and rich subtext or anything like that, but I would have liked at least some substance to this. There are still things to enjoy in Sisu, and from what I've read I'm a slight outlier in not thinking this is incredible, but it just didn't connect with me. However, don't let that stop you from seeing this in the theater. The cinematography and style alone are worth the big screen experience.

Score: 6/10

Currently only in theaters.

[samirfms]

excuse  me  did  you  see  idris  elba  hanging  around  palmwood  studios ?  oh  no,  that  was samir  boone  ,  the  fifty  one year  old  actor  who  plays  ron  fredric  on groovy  70′s  .  yeah,  you  know  rumour  has  it  they're  -  shallow  ,  and  -  impulsive  ,  but  their  fans  all  say  they’re  +  compassionate  ,  and  +  forgiving .  around  palmwood  studios  they’re  known  as  the  benevolent  . 

BIRTH NAME  :  isaiah  samir  boone  jr

STAGE NAME :  samir  albright 

MEANING  :  isiah  of  hebrew  origin  meaning  god  saves  ;  samir  of  arabic  origin  meaning  good  friend  /  companion  ;  boone  of  french  origin  meaning good  ,  a  blessing

NICKNAME(S)  :  bubba , slim , moody  (  he prefers to be called samir but very close friends will call him by childhood nicknames  )

DATE  OF  BIRTH  :  february  14  1970  ( 51 )

PLACE  OF  BIRTH  :  inglewood  ,  california

SEXUALITY  :  heterosexual

RELATIONSHIP  STATUS  :  single

backstory 

samir grew up the oldest of five , they were very very poor and since his mom was always working he was pretty much the head of everything . 

his father was murdered in a convince store robbery , he tried to talk to the shooter and got shot himself 

he doesn’t really remember feeling carefree he was almost always doing something for others ; be it helping his siblings with their homework , making dinner or walking his mom home from work

( suicide tw ) shortly after he turned eighteen his mother committed suicide leaving samir to care for the rest of his siblings , needless to say this meant he had to step up and quickly 

pretty much as soon as he heard rap he was in love , eventually he started making music , it was his way of escaping the world he lived in . 

he never really got famous but the streets loved him . if you search real hard you can find some of his old tapes . 

he started working as soon as he possibly could, doing everything from selling tapes to working at a deli on the weekends 

he went to a performing arts school where he studied acting and writing , he has a book of poetry that’s been published and a novel that he published under a pseudonym 

he went to an open casting call for a show called living single but he didn’t get the part . a few months later the execs at nbc decided to base a show around his rap persona called the fresh prince the show became a cult classic and the rest is kind of history 

he got married at twenty and thought he’d be with his wife forever , he really wanted a big family so right away they started having kids they have four kids biologically and adopted three kids 

after fifteen years of marriage his first wife announced that she’d never been happy and left him for another man. needless to say this fucked with him heavily but instead of dealing with it he got married four more times . he’s currently on the hunt for wife number 6 . 

when his wife left he took time off of acting and devoted himself to his family , he was the dad who went to every dance recital , school play and choir concert , he coached his kids little league teams and was ready to give up hollywood for good 

he was offered the part of heimdall and initially he was going to turn it down but one of his kids convinced him to go for it , it was a small part after all , what was meant to be a one off role more or less reopened a lot of door for him 

he took the role on groovy 70s because it allowed him to be in LA while his last child finished up high school , plus his older children were looking to break out into acting and the last thing he was going to do was let them do it alone . 

a tale of five wives 

wife number one : npc . aged fifty one . the love of his life and the destroyer of his heart . he honestly thought they were happy but she’d been cheating on him for ten years , to this day he hates her guts , they’re constantly in and out of court over their fourteen year old daughter . 

wife number two : playable . any age . he met wife number two on the beach and the moment he laid eyes on her , he knew he wanted to marry her , they married two weeks after meeting and divorced eight months later . 

wife number three : playable . age 40+ . he met wife number three when picking up his daughter from dance class both their kids attended . the two hit if off and dated secretly for a year before telling their children . their marriage lasted three years before their divorce when samir cheated .  he still feels very guilty about cheating , he knows how badly it hurts and he hates that he did that to someone else . 

wife number four : playable . any age . his children hated wife number four because of how close in age she was to them . naturally they did everything in their power to get rid of her , eventually they managed to run her away , that really pissed off samir because he actually loved her and “ maybe it would have worked out . ” 

wife number five : playable . any age . much like wife number four his kids weren’t the biggest fan of number five but this time they had to come up with a different plan . instead of tormenting the wife they imbedded little doubts in samir’s mind until he eventually decided to divorce .

the boone family 

child number one : playable . male / nb . any fc that’s at least half black . age 30 - 34 they’re named after him ; isiah samir boone iii . 

child number two :  playable . female / nb . any fc that’s at least half black . age 26 - 29 

child number three : playable . female / nb . any fc that’s at least half black . age 22 - 25 

child number four : playable . any gender . any fc , this muse was adopted . 

child number five : playable . any gender . any fc , this muse was adopted .  

child number six : playable . any gender . any fc , this muse was adopted .  

child number seven : npc . female aged fourteen . samir and his wife are constantly battling over their daughter . she is the last child they have together and the last link to his life . while he loves his kid beyond words he’s so glad he’s almost done with raising children . 

[that-blue-vault-dweller]

Companions react to sole getting that big ass projector at red rocket working and finding some movies? Get out the popcorn!

Ooh, I really like this!!! However, I couldn’t remember if there was a projector at Red Rocket, and I wondered if you meant Starlight Drive In because I’m not sure if there was a big, clear wall to display the film on at Red Rocket. I assumed Starlight Drive In, but if you want me to go back and fix it to Red Rocket, I definitely can. Just shoot a message in my ask box or comment. 😊

Thank you for the request, and I hope you enjoy!!! 💙💛

Cait - Is surprised at the fact that she actually has it going. When she hears the news, she jokingly asks if F!Sole can put on a horror movie. F!Sole easily arranges Cait's request, and Cait is absolutely shocked at how realistic everything on the screen looks. Of course, she's only once seen an actual movie and it was about a talking dog. In fact, though she would rather die than admit it, she is somewhat terrified by the end of the film and she is jumping at every shadow.

Piper - Is absolutely thrilled and is immediately asking F!Sole to pull out some movies to watch on the big screen. F!Sole gladly complies, and the both of them watch one of the movies that came out just before the bombs. Piper is absolutely enthralled the entire time, and she hardly speaks as she just watches. She has never had the privilege to see actual TV or a movie, so it is the most amazing thing she has ever witnessed and actually leaves her speechless. When it is finally over, she suggests that they do this again on another night so they could show Nat.

Curie - Is practically bouncing when F!Sole first tells her and she asks if they can watch a movie immediately. Unfortunately, she has to wait until sundown, and by then, she has picked out multiple movies to watch, all of them piled in her arms. Every single one of them are feel-good movies intended to make the viewer cry, and Curie is indeed blubbering by the time they finish binge-watching. She makes sure to clap and hoot for the actors and actresses as if they could actually hear her.

MacCready - Is honestly shocked, but is a little skeptical about whether it will actually play any film. F!Sole asks him to go find a movie he would like to watch, and he brings her a movie about the Silver Shroud. To his excitement and pure joy, the movie actually plays and he is just staring at it with his mouth hanging open like a child watching its favorite show. He is positively bumfuzzled by it, and he is totally in love.

Deacon - Asks her if she is absolutely sure that she has the projector working correctly. When she says that she is one hundred percent certain, he asks her if he can ask some of the other Railroad folks to come and watch with them. She agrees, and that very night, there are several Railroad members there undercover. Even Desdemona came to watch. By the time it is all over, everyone is very impressed. Deacon wastes no time in bragging and telling everyone that if they wouldn't have taken his word for it when she wanted to join, then they'd never get to enjoy all this.

Codsworth - Is ecstatic with the fact that F!Sole has managed to bring a major piece of Pre-War culture back to life. He is there with her every step of the way, feeling such overwhelming emotion when he sees the movie start on the big screen. He places a pincer on her shoulder, squeezing gently as he quietly tells her how proud sir would be of where they are now.

Hancock - Is very pleased and quite interested in the entire idea. He even asks if she thinks she could get another one going in Goodneighbor. He thinks it would be valuable tourist attraction and that it could boost morale for his citizens. However, in the meantime, they just spend some time together as they watch a movie about revolutions and dystopian societies. He is utterly in love and has officially declared himself a huge fan of the young heroine starring in the movie that gave everything for the love of a sibling.

Danse - Is utterly fascinated, and is quickly asking to watch a movie. When she asks for a particular genre, he very sheepishly and quietly asks if they can watch a Western. She, of course, complies and they are soon enjoying stories of the Wild West, a world completely lost now that the bombs have fell and the years have passed. He is excited as can be throughout the entire movie, barely containing himself as he jumps a bit when gunfights erupt and horses run toward the viewer.

Preston - Believes her wholeheartedly when she says she has the projector going. As a direct result, he invites as many minutemen that are willing to come so they can see the wonderful work their general has done. When F!Sole puts on a movie, everyone is amazed, but none moreso than Preston. He is in absolute awe of the movie, but particularly, he is admiring his general for being so incredibly talented.

Valentine - So many memories are immediately washing upon him about drive-ins and all manners of things. He asks her if there are any mystery movies stored around the place, and she gladly pulls out the first one she finds. They both sit there together, only partially listening to the movie as they mostly spend time discussing old stories of their past drive-in visits before the bombs.

X6-88 - Is very impressed, but expresses his wish that the screen should be used as a manner in which to offer informative briefings and whatnot. F!Sole asks him to sit and give a movie a chance and he begrudgingly complies. However, when he actually does sit down and watch it, he is pleasantly surprised and he finds himself deeply invested in it. However, he would sooner die than admit to it.

Dogmeat - Does not totally get it, but he is very glad that she is so excited. He stays by her as she fishes through a box and pulls out something oddly-shaped. Soon enough, there is a movie playing on the giant screen and he is just staring. He barks at different scenes when it looks like it's coming toward him and F!Sole. He evens runs directly up to the screen, sniffing at it. It looks so real, and he wonders why he can't smell the people in the scene and just smells a dirty old screen.

Strong - Does not really understand, so she just puts on a movie for the both of them. As soon as it comes on the screen, he is shouting and freaking out because somehow these humans have grown even bigger than a super-mutant and its honestly scaring him a little. However, he starts running toward the screen, aiming to do his best to smash. Therefore, she has to hurry to him and make him stop. Needless to say, she doesn't watch any more movies with Strong.

Maxson - When he finds out, he is considerably impressed. He questions if she is comfortable with sharing the find with the rest of the Brotherhood. When she agrees, he asks several Brotherhood operatives to come with him to watch a movie there. When it is over, they all applaud her greatly, and he tells her that she has done an excellent job. He also asks if she could possibly get another one going for solely for Brotherhood use.

Sturges - Spends a moment to discuss with her about the technical aspect of how she managed to get it going. As soon as that is out of the way, he asks her if they can put on a movie and watch it. She gets everything set up, and they both enjoy a good movie. It is unlike anything that Sturges has ever seen, and he enjoys it greatly, being sure to tell her what an amazing job she did with getting it going again.

Glory - Remembers seeing some movies played in the Institute, but she has never actually had the ability to stop and watch one. When F!Sole tells her that she has got the projector going, Glory raises an eyebrow  and asks her if she is aiming on watching something. F!Sole affirms this, and she asks her to watch something with her. Glory agrees, pretending to be not so enthusiastic, but she is very much closely watching the film when it comes on. When they are sitting there together, Glory very quietly offhandedly states that she was punished if she was spotted looking over the human's shoulders at the TVs at the Institute. She is very thankful to finally have a good experience to associate with a television.

[sage-nebula]

Neku & Hanekoma surrogate father-son headcanons

— Neku is an only child, born to parents who, honestly, should have never been parents. It wasn’t that his birth was an accident, exactly . . . but more that his parents had him because they figured that having a child was the Next Step they were Supposed To Take. You know, go to school, get a good job, get married, have kids. Fortunately for any future potential siblings, Neku’s parents realized early on that this whole parenting thing really wasn’t for them and that they, in fact, hated being parents, and as such they never had any other children after Neku was born. Unfortunately for Neku, they did still have him and, due to stigma surrounding adoption (both in terms of adopting kids and giving your own kids up) in Japan, they kept him instead of adopting him out to parents who would actually love him.

— As a result, Neku’s relationship with his parents is . . . not great, to say the least. His parents never failed to provide the basic needs he needed to survive—things like food, shelter, clothes, etc. But they also weren’t keen on giving him anything beyond that, feeling that it was at best a hassle to do so and at worst an aggravation. So although Neku never went hungry, was never homeless, and was never without clothes that fit, he was also left to feed himself with the food that was in the house, and rely on himself for all of his emotional needs. In a way, he brought himself up. This contributes to how much of an absolute mess he is at the start of The World Ends With You, in that it wasn’t just the death of his friend that sent him into that complete lockdown of not letting anyone else in, but also that he’d taken care of his own business for so long growing up that he figured this really was the best way to go about it, that he hadn’t needed anyone else for a long time and wouldn’t need them, either, if trying to rely on them only brought him pain. He was forced into self-sufficiency due to parental neglect and, as a result, that trauma shaped how he developed and grew as a person.

— On top of his parents not really wanting to be parents and do the things that parents do, the fact that Neku’s interests and attitude were radically different from their own / became “difficult” following the death of his friend meant that Neku and his parents were often at odds. Neku’s parents didn’t understand things like Neku’s style or interests, and didn’t appreciate (to say the least) his sarcastic tongue and snarky attitude. Neku, in turn, didn’t appreciate them belittling and demeaning his interests, talking down on his idol (they aren’t fans of graffiti and think that CAT is a vandal who should be arrested), and only paying attention to him when they had something critical to say. Needless to say, as Neku entered his teen years the tension between them became thick enough that a knife would have a hard time cutting through it and fighting became the norm. This was exacerbated by the fact that although his parents were glad when Neku wasn’t home, they also felt they had to punish him when he broke curfew, resulting in even more hostility and anger on both sides of the conflict.

— Prior to the first game, whenever Neku left home after a fight with his parents (or stayed out later than he was supposed to), he would often go to the mural in Udagawa in order to have some time alone to cool off. After the first game (but before his three year imprisonment in Shinjuku), he found himself going to Wildkat instead. This wasn’t intentional, at least not at first; his feet often just carried him there before he realized what was happening, and the first few times he ended up there at obscenely late hours (such as around midnight), he felt embarrassed and bad about it and apologized to Hanekoma for waking him up. But Hanekoma never minded; he let Neku in to have a cup of coffee or hot chocolate or whatever else, and to talk about whatever was eating him up inside. Not that Neku liked talking about it, but . . . whatever little he was willing to divulge, he always felt safe divulging to Hanekoma.

— For his part, Hanekoma generally wasn’t one to involve himself in domestic spats. What happened between parents and their children was their business, not his. But Neku was a special case. Neku was someone who had just recently been through three weeks of Hell. Neku was someone who had, though he probably didn’t realize just how much, contributed to saving Shibuya. And Neku was a kid who, Hanekoma would admit to himself, he could see a little of himself in. Not totally—there were a lot of differences beween them, too—but something in the tenor of Neku’s Soul was similar to Hanekoma’s own. There was a lot of potential there; Neku had a lot of potential to be someone even greater than he already was, and Hanekoma would hate to see that squandered by a miserable home life. So if Neku needed some solace in Wildkat in the middle of the night after yet another fight with his parents, Hanekoma was willing to give it to him. And if Neku needed someplace to crash, well, Hanekoma had a perfectly good couch upstairs. It was no big deal, really. Wildkat’s door was always open to him, no questions asked.

— So for the couple months Neku had between the long Game and Coco murdering him again (and Joshua locking him in Shinjuku for three years instead of, you know, just reviving him and putting him back in the RG where Shiba and the others couldn’t get their hands on him), this became something of a routine for them. It didn’t happen every night, but at least a few nights a week Neku found himself at Wildkat long after hours, oftentimes crashing on Hanekoma’s couch when he was too tired or it was too late for him to go home. His parents, of course, hated this; Neku wouldn’t tell them where he was (they hated CAT, and would undoubtedly call the police on him for his “street vandalism” if they knew who he was, and there was no way Neku was about to sell him out), but they hated that he was staying out all night and let him have it whenever they saw him the next day. Of course, this often led to Neku bolting that night, too . . . so it was a bad cycle that kept repeating. Hanekoma did think, sometimes, that maybe he should encourage some reconciliation here, and he did try a little; he tried playing a light devil’s adovcate whenever Neku opened up about his problems, suggesting that maybe his parents weren’t trying to upset him, but that maybe they were just doing what parents did. But Neku never wanted to hear it, and Hanekoma wasn’t going to push. The last thing he needed to do, he felt, was push Neku away from one of the few places he felt safe.

— Over time, Neku felt more and more comfortable sharing what was going on with Hanekoma—in fragments, of course, bits and pieces, but bits and pieces that became bigger and a bit more detailed as time went on. And they talked about other things, too. Tin Pin Slammer, how things were going in the café, new music that had just come out and indie artists that were just about to make their presence known on the big stage, and just about anything else under the sun. Hanekoma never belittled or disparaged Neku’s interests, and in fact often had insight and knowledge into things that Neku hadn’t known before. Neku’s late night visits to Wildkat were a respite from a tumultuous home life, but also Neku greatly enjoyed getting to talk to and spend time with his idol (who was becoming less of an idol, and more of a person to him, someone reliable and safe whom he could go to if he ever needed anything, someone who could actually look out for him for the first time in his life, like his parents never did). And on Hanekoma’s end, well, he genuinely liked spending this time with Neku and would be lying if he said he didn’t. Sure, when they first met, Neku was more prickly than an over-thorned cactus and it was abundantly clear why Joshua had chosen Neku to be his proxy, i.e. the representation of the worst of Shibuya. But Neku had grown so much, and was still growing, and well, Hanekoma liked that he got to watch that growth happen right in front of his eyes. Neku was a good kid. Hanekoma liked having him around.

— The week before Neku was murdered, Hanekoma offered him a part-time job at Wildkat, so he could start saving money so he could move out of his parents’ place after he graduated high school. (Of course, Hanekoma was willing to just give him the couch upstairs, but Neku was too proud to just take that without doing anything in return.) It would have to be kept on the down low, of course, because high school students weren’t supposed to have part-time jobs unless they had a waiver signed that let them do so based on economic need, but it wasn’t as if Wildkat was exactly on most people’s radar anyway. Neku would start training the following week, and hopefully be full-fledged, post-training employee by the end of the month. Or at least he would have been, had he lived that long.

— Three days before he was murdered, on a night when Neku once again found himself in Wildkat after hours, Hanekoma took Neku with him to tag a previously undisturbed portion of the Udagawa mural. Neku was, of course, nervous as hell; this was not only his first time tagging a wall, but he was tagging a wall with CAT. He had no idea what he was doing, he was bound to screw it up, and what would CAT think of him then? How could he ever look Hanekoma in the eye after that? Having to decide whether he could shoot Joshua to save his own life had felt like less pressure than this.

— But Hanekoma activated some of the hidden sigils in his previously marked graffiti to release calming vibes to help Neku relax, and after he started them off, Neku was able to add his own flair to the new patch of mural Hanekoma was creating. Though they added quite a bit of art to the wall, the last piece they added was an artistic rendition of Neku’s own headphones, with angel wings spread out behind them. With Neku’s Imagination subconsciously put into the paint, the tag would inspire those who saw it to use their individual talents to seek out and expand their horizons. Of course, Neku wasn’t aware of this; he couldn’t read the Imagination imprinted in art the way Hanekoma could, and wasn’t even aware that he was adding it. But he had, and although Hanekoma was proud enough of Neku for taking that step and putting his artwork out into the world, he was even prouder that Neku’s art would inspire those to chase the same journey he had, and ultimately take similar steps into making the world a bigger, brighter, more passionate and dynamic place than it was before.

— Unfortunately, Neku was killed a mere three days later.

— This history, the time they spent together between the long Game and his second death, is the reason why Neku told Coco that there was “no one he trusted more” when she questioned why he was going to see Hanekoma about what was going on. Neku didn’t trust Hanekoma only because of the help he provided during the long Game, but also because of all Hanekoma had done for him since then. The late night talks, the place to crash, the promise of an upcoming part-time gig, the advice, the wall tagging. Hanekoma was there for Neku in a way that Neku’s parents never were, and though Neku would rather die than verbalize this to Hanekoma (because he would die, of embarrassment, if he did), it still meant the world to him. Hanekoma provided him solace and sanctuary when he needed it most. He wasn’t just a “sort of guardian” for Players playing the Game, but was also a guardian for Neku in the RG. There was no one Neku trusted more. If anyone could (and would) help him, it was Hanekoma.

— Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Coco from shooting Neku point-blank right in front of the mural they tagged together. 

— Naturally, Hanekoma didn’t want to take this lying down, but also his ability to help Neku was rather limited. As Producer, he had many powers, but returning Players to the RG was not one of them. So he did what he could do; after Shinjuku’s Inversion, he went to discuss the matter with the Composer. He asked, point blank, what Neku’s fate would be, now that he had been killed by Coco and cast back into the UG again. And Joshua, after a moment of thought, shrugged and looked away. “He served his purpose . . . but I don’t need him anymore.”

— To say that wasn’t the answer Hanekoma wanted to hear was an understatement. Of course, he knew that Joshua wasn’t being entirely truthful; not only was it rare for Joshua to be direct with his thoughts and feelings (especially if those thoughts and feelings suggested that he cared about someone else on some level), but Hanekoma was savvy enough to be able to tell when someone wasn’t being entirely truthful with him. Call it an extra facet of his extrasensory perception. He knew that Joshua was not going to leave Neku at the mercy of those who would seek to erase him from Shibuya altogether. However, he also knew that what Joshua was saying was that he had no intentions of returning Neku to the RG either. And in Hanekoma’s opinion, that . . . wasn’t exactly great, to say the least. Neku had been through a lot already, and he had so much more life to live, so much more potential to realize. And while time spent in the remains of Shinjuku would allow his extransensory perception to grow exponentially (thereby giving him the firepower needed to fight back against those who would seek to erase him), it would also cut him off from all the connections he had made, and being locked in isolation like that would not only shoulder him with even more psychological and emotional trauma, but would also significantly hamper his emotional growth and development. It wasn’t good for him, and it wasn’t right. He deserved to live his life. And so while Joshua wouldn’t do something about it, at least not yet . . . Hanekoma decided that he had to try. He couldn’t return Neku to the RG, but he could at least get him out of Shinjuku. He could do that much.

— . . . or at least, he could have, had the Higher Plane not detected him attempting to interfere with the remnants of Shinjuku. Not only was this out of bounds, but this discovery led to the discovery of everything else he had done during the long Game, and he was summoned back to the Atrium of Judgment to stand trial (and then sentenced to imprisonment in the Chamber of the Fallen for his crimes). He was allowed a psychic link to Shibuya so that he could still perform his duties as Producer, writing reports on everything that unfolded in the city, but he wasn’t able to interfere. He couldn’t help Neku escape Shinjuku, or offer him any aid—even just a listening ear—once he got back to Shibuya. All he could do was watch.

— Well . . . mostly.

— After his return to the RG after his three year imprisonment in Shinjuku and the Game in Shibuya that followed, Neku . . . he could have gone back to stay with his folks. He could have. He knew that there had been a funeral for him, that his folks had moved on from his death, but none of that had taken place anymore due to Joshua’s merging of the timelines (or whatever it was that he had done). But Neku . . . didn’t want to go back to his parents’ house. His plan had been to save up money in his final years of high school so that he could get a place of his own (or at least pay rent to Hanekoma by working at Wildkat), but that plan was ruined due to the timeline Joshua had selected not coming with a stockpile of savings for him to use to get his own place. Even so, returning back to his folks wasn’t something he felt comfortable with. They didn’t remember his death, or recognize his absence; they were as distant and cool toward him as ever. But between his own goals being shattered at his feet and everything he had been through, the idea of living with two people who tolerated him at best and whom he actively fought with at worst just . . . didn’t sit right with him. He didn’t want to do it. As churlish as it sounded, he just didn’t want to.

— So his first night back, he walked the familiar streets back to Wildkat, which was just as closed as it had been during the Game. This was not surprising to Neku. He had told Beat that he doubted they’d run into Hanekoma on CAT Street not because he knew what happened to Hanekoma (he didn’t), but because he figured that if Hanekoma was around to help, he would have helped Neku escape Shinjuku way sooner than he had. Hanekoma would have never abandoned or left him hanging without good reason. He just wasn’t that kind of person. But although Wildkat was closed, and there was no hope of a familiar face and a comforting cup of coffee waiting for him if he knocked on the door . . . well . . .

— Neku’s powers had, as Joshua had banked on, grown expontentially in Shinjuku, enough so that he could now use them to some degree in the RG. With enough focus, he was able to use his telekinesis to unlock Wildkat’s door and let himself inside, closing and locking it behind him. It was empty, and a bit dusty; but when he climbed the stairs and unlocked the door leading into the apartment, he found everything pretty much as he remembered it, right down to some of his old textbooks still sitting on the kitchen table.

— He didn’t cry, but his throat choked up.

— That night, Neku crashed on the couch in the living room just as he always did. But the next morning he awoke to find himself in Hanekoma’s old bed, a note and two sets of keys on the nightstand beside him.

‘Phones, Take care of the place while I’m gone. — H. Sanae’

— Neku didn’t know why Hanekoma left him a note instead of waking him up to talk in person. He didn’t know whether he felt more confused or upset about that fact, either. But he did know that he trusted Hanekoma, more than anyone. And if Hanekoma was going to give him the keys to Wildkat and ask him to look after the place while he was gone . . . wherever he was, then Neku would do it. No questions asked. 

— It had, after all, already felt like home to him for a while now.

[daverygalskisbff]

Pidge & Lance friendship/sibling dynamic headcanons?

hi! thank you sm for asking this!! i didn't think I'd be able to come up with anything but it was surprisingly super fun to do, I really liked writing this. I'm sorry it took so long to get out tho, I've had to spend like 90% of my time on the yearbook recently and i couldnt really do much else :/. but the yearbook is now finished and so is this hc list! i hope you enjoy it :)

let us begin 

Lance and Pidge! 

they didn't actually become friends until after the whole voltron debacle started 

we saw that lance had tried to befriend pidge back at the garrison, but (obviously) she had never been interested

like, at all 

so lance just kind of assumed she didn't like him and gave up after a while 

they're mostly, like, acquaintances, for the first few weeks of joining voltron - it takes pidge a little while to warm up to lance bc she thinks he's just an annoying party-boy, and lance thinks pidge is kind of full of herself

once they realise how much they have in common, though… 

all hell breaks loose. more or less. 

they play a lot of video games together

at first they only have killbot phantasm one, so they give themselves new rules and "multitask levels" to make it more interesting after they both inevitably master the game 

this usually involves having to defeat levels by themselves while the other person throws things at them 

the two of them also make sure to spend at least an hour every space mall-visit searching for new games, and pidge likes to code things for them to play when they run out  

lance has a list of nicknames for all of their teammates, but he makes a point to have some variety in his pidge names for the different occasions that he uses them in 

this list includes but is not limited to: pidgey/pidgeon (self explanatory), pea (short joke and green joke wrapped in one), birdie (for when he's trying to be nice), and stripe (after the evil gremlin in the movie gremlins)

pidge isn't a big fan of music, but she hates to work in silence, so lance will come hang out with her while she works and just talk about whatever

she doesn't fully listen most of the time, but lance doesn't mind because he never really talks about anything important 

their other teammates aren't exactly used to this dynamic, tho 

keith, staring at lance as he explains in detail the "sith lord jar jar binks" theory: how do you… focus? with him doing this? 

pidge: it's kinda like a white noise machine. I just tune him out

lance: first of all, racist, second of all- 

pidge also uses lance as her main source of ideas for low-stakes projects to work on on the side 

she even lets him help her make them, a privilege gifted to absolutely no one else (except hunk, but lance maintains that he doesn't count bc he's an engineer and makes stuff anyways) 

so far, they have made a (semi) functioning hoverboard, lightsabers (they can't hurt people, tho, much to pidge's disappointment), and a grappling hook

their most recent project is trying to figure out how to recreate spider-man's web shooters 

lance: i need to be spider-man, pidge. i was born to be spider-man. i can feel it. 

pidge: y'know lance that's actually super interesting, because I distinctly remember that spider-man actually made his own web shooters, he didn't just sit on the counter and watch as his friend did all the work 

lance: …

pidge's laptop has a bunch of kinds of entertainment downloaded onto it - music, movies, like three tv shows - and once lance learns this he refuses to let it go until he gets her to agree to watch something with him

one of the shows she has just so happens to be criminal minds. lance clings to this like his life depends on it 

lance, over comms: hey baby girl i need you to work me some magic 

pidge, trying to hack into a galra base: leandro martin mcclain I swear to god I am going to release your location to every sentry on this ship and I am going to watch them kill you over these security cameras and I am going to laugh 

needless to say, they make fun of eachother a lot 

every day. about everything. 

lance, dropping a spoon on the floor at breakfast: :/

pidge: lmao look at you. outstanding coordination. they really should've taught you how to juggle at clown school 

lance: first of all fuck you, second of all it was called performer's camp and i bet they wouldn't even let you in

in true sibling fashion, they never let eachother forget anything embarrassing. no matter what. 

pidge: (is quiet for more than three minutes) 

lance: hey remember that time at the garrison when a pretty girl asked if she could borrow a pencil and you panicked and said you didn't have any because you can't spell

pidge: I'm telling shiro on you that was one time- 

however, despite all of their teasing, they really do care about each other a lot

pidge is the first to hug lance when he steps out of the healing pods, and lance will bend over backwards to cheer pidge up on a bad day 

sometimes literally. never tell your found family siblings that you're a trained acrobat, kids.

lance organises little sleepovers with allura for days when pidge is feeling particularly dysphoric, so they can do traditionally "girly" things like paint their nails and put on makeup 

pidge doesn't usually do that sort of thing on a regular day, so it's kind of like a nice reminder that she's allowed to be feminine if she wants to be

originally a rule of these sleepovers was that everyone had to do one thing that pidge asked for before the night ended, but they had to scrap that rule after… complications, in one of lance's dares 

(in defense of allura, it had been over 10,000 years since she had her ears pierced, and it's not like she could see what the (professional) beautician was doing at the time, so really the fact lance ended up in a healing pod with an ear infection wasn't even her fault. the piercings do suit him, tho, so she maintains she did a very good job regardless)

the three of them usually end up cuddling in a little pile when they finally go to sleep 

lance has a sixth sense about knowing which bodily function pidge is neglecting at any given time 

he calls it his Big Brother Eye, and only realised he had inadvertently made a book reference when shiro praised him for his culture 

lance: big brother sees everything, pidgeon

shiro: oh, you've read 1984, lance? 

lance: um. is that like an album or something. 

anyways, lance tends to make frequent stops to pidge's room and/or lab to remind her to eat, drink, sleep, etc. sometimes all three at once but only in emergencies. 

pidge rarely actually wants to take a break, tho, so lance channels his best "my sister had kids when i was ten and i have been bargaining with small children for almost a decade" voice to convince her to leave 

lance: okay birdie, i know the coffee tastes good, but y'know what would taste even better? a sandwich. maybe even some ice cream. you feel like ice cream today kiddo? 

pidge, hopped up on three days of no sleep and expired space coffee coran thought it would be safe to give her: (stares directly into lance's eyes) where are you

lance and pidge both get the most homesick out of the team, so sometimes they'll just chill together in silence for a while. lance reminds pidge of her brother, and pidge reminds lance of one of his sisters, so their company is like an extra bit of comfort. they help each other a lot when it gets really difficult 

my askbox is still very much open for requests, btw, so if anyone has any ideas feel free to send them in!

[sylvie-writes]

How about a Chris x reader one shot where they find out if the baby is a boy or a girl? And they announce their pregnancy to the world via a cute insta post of dodger saying he’s leveled up to big brother status?

a/n: y’all got me in baby fever 🥺 I love this sm.

For a good amount of time, you and your husband Chris have been trying for a baby.

The very day you tried a test, and it came back positive, Chris was ecstatic. He literally scooped you up in his arms and spun you around, pressing many kisses to your face.

Chris Evans was most definitely ready to be a dad.

About four months in, it was finally time to find out the gender of your baby.

In the car you and Chris talked a mile a minute, talking about hundreds of names.

“Tobias?”

“Christopher, what planet are you on? No way!”

He laughed, “ok ok, how about Cooper?”

“Good redemption, bubs.”

Arriving at the appointment, your nerves were laced with excitement and you could tell Chris was the same.

As he sat on the waiting room bench with you, you could see his leg bouncing, a nervous habit.

Tenderly, you placed your hand on his knee and kissed his temple.

“It’s gonna be okay, big guy.”

He tried his best to give you a genuine smile and instead pulled you close for a kiss to the crown of your head.

“Mrs. Evans?”

You looked up to see a nurse, clipboard in hand and polite smile.

Standing from the bench, you held out a hand for your husband.

Placing his large hand in yours, he gently squeezed it as his figure stood beside you, the two of your trailing the nurse ahead.

The doctor came in and politely held a conversation with you as he put the cold gel on your lower stomach.

With the ultrasound wand pressed to your skin, he pointed out different things on the screen, both yours and Chris’s eyes glued to the machine as it held your future.

The both of had agreed that either gender you’d be happy to have, because in the end, he or she would be your first child and you’d love them regardless.

All you and Chris had wished for was a healthy baby.

And so far, that is what you had.

The little heartbeat could be heard, and even though it wasn’t the first time, tears still pricked your eyes.

After some searching and explaining of the image, the doctor came to his conclusion.

“Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Evans, it’s a boy!”

The doctor momentarily stepped out to give you and Chris some time.

Immediately your husband practically jumped you, reaching over from his seat for a hug.

“We did it, baby!”

He wore a silly grin as he looked down on you.

You gazed up through your eyelashes, happy smile as well.

The two of you shared a quick victory kiss before returning to your respective seats as the doctor would soon return.

On the car ride back, you and Chris called the family members telling them that you had found out a gender.

Of course, Chris’s siblings and parents insisted you’d meet up for dinner this weekend, claiming you needed a proper gender reveal party.

Overwhelmed with the immenses out of love from the family, you readily agreed.

You and Chris both knew the other Evans would have a lot up their sleeves, despite having already revealed the gender to them.

“Hey Handsome, since we’ve already told the family, what do you say about telling your fans?”

Chris reached over the console with his free hand. He always like to hold your hand in the car. Ever the romantic.

“I think that’s a good idea, sweetheart! You know they love Dodge.”

With a smirk you replied, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Chris chuckled at your enthusiasm and the two of you brain stormed some ideas.

Once home, you ran in, quickly grabbing Dodger who happily followed his momma.

With a few treats in hand, you got Dodger to sit in the yard.

The sun was out bright making for a good quality video.

Yes, you were really worrying at the quality of your gender reveal video. It was your first child, might as well do it 100%.

anyway, Chris handed you the ultrasound picture as you handed him the phone.

The announcement was last minute so you just used the supplies that were at your disposal.

Dodger had a blue bandanna from a birthday party and he proudly wore it once again.

Lately, he’s been protective of you, as if he knew you were expecting.

He was thrilled to be a big brother needless to say.

With Dodger sitting in the plush grass, bandanna on, and ultrasound at his feet, you added the final touches to the scene as you saw fit.

Backing up, you stood beside Chris who started filming.

“Hey lovely people! We have a big surprise for you all. Isn’t that right Dodger?”

Chris began talking to the camer and Dodger, who wagged his tail in response to his name being called.

“That’s right,” you chimed in, “You’re gonna be a big brother aren’t you bubba?”

With the best playful voice you had, you riled up Dodger who excitedly barked.

“Woooooooof.” - Dodger

Tired of obeying, the pup stood up and trotted over to you, jumping up for a kiss.

You giggle and got down on the ground where Dodger attacked you with licks.

Chris moved the camera your way, and in between laughs, tried to finish up the announcement.

“Well folks, you heard it here first! And as you can see Dodger is very excited to be a big brother.”

You continued to giggled and tried to wave goodbye as the dog continued to lick your face nonstop.

Announcement over, Chris ended the video and posted it to his story.

Story posted, the man tossed his phone aside as he knew the world would go nuts any second now.

Getting down on the ground with you, Chris helped you up from the ground, allowing you to sit back on your heels.

He laughed at your disheveled state and pulled you into a hug, fixing your ruffled hair as he did so.

The two of you stood from the ground, Chris’s arms around your waist and your hands on his chest.

You looked up into his eyes are he wore his signature smile.

“Congratulations, Mr. Evans.”

He kissed your lips, “Congratulations, Mrs. Evans.”

A/N: sorry if that was bad 😂 (i had to do a headcanon sorry love!) but requests are open!

part two “LIVESTREAM” is on my master list :)

[narrans]

Everyone needs a little Hero | Rings and Memories

The apartment complex wasn’t the newest and had few features that could be identified as the “latest and greatest.” Sometimes there were problems with the water and sometimes the lights flickered at odd times of the day and night. Every so often, things would go missing or just get misplaced.

One thing this apartment complex did have, however, were stories. Each of its dozen floors held people from different places and backgrounds. Some people were thriving, others trying to make their way. Some were going through hardships and a few just need a friend – someone to talk to.

One other thing this place had among its labyrinth of walls and wires was a whole other world – a smaller world consisting of dozens of families. Some of them big, some of them small, but all of them little – these were the Borrowers.

The four-inch folk live in quiet solitude, surviving by taking what they need in pieces, parts, fragments, and segments. Rarely did something of significance go missing and, even then, it was the humans’ fault for being so clumsy.

There were rules for keeping themselves undiscovered by the humans and, for the most part, these rules were upheld. There were times where humans spread rumors or asked if there were mice and such in the building. Thankfully, the Borrowers had managed to steer clear of the exterminators and their traps.

It was one of their biggest fears – to be seen and caught by a human.

Hero grew up with two older brothers, an older sister, and a younger sister. He also had his parents, grandparents, and even a great-grandfather. His family had never immigrated, a rarity among their kind, and had always been careful. Subtly, the young Borrower with sandy brown hair and bright green eyes had always feared the humans, but also found them fascinating.

Humans were dangerous, yes, but were also ingenuitive and forward thinking. They had creativity and passion as well as the means to do so. Hero knew they had the ability to do horrendous things, but they also had the power to do good.

Every once in a while, he would venture through the walls and listen to the humans watching that big flat thing called a T.V. or a screen. They watched scary things, but the thing Hero was fascinated with was the show about villains and, like his name, heroes.

These heroes had powers and would fight against injustice, whatever that was, and the bad people hurting other people. Some could shoot lasers while others could fly. Some were strong. Some could use their hair. One thing that hero noticed about all of these people was that it didn’t matter who they were or what they looked like – they were all heroes.

Some of them, he noticed, didn’t even have powers. There was one boy who was drawn with green hair and cried a lot that talked about what it meant to be a hero – and somehow the young Borrower found this inspiring. He knew from that moment on he had to live up to his name.

Now, how he was going to go about this he wasn’t sure. He had only just had his thirteenth birthday and was three or so inches on a good day. Needless to say, height was going to be a slight issue, but it wouldn’t stop him. According to some people on a thing called the “inner-net,” you didn’t need to save lives or stop buildings from falling down to make a difference in someone’s life.

This is the notion that Hero clung to one night as he debated for the hundredth time with himself. He didn’t need to be big to make a difference. In fact, some guy by the name of “Gamdalf” said that it was the ordinary actions of small folk that made a difference.

It was settled – and Hero knew who he wanted to help first.

On the third floor, there was an elderly couple who loved each other very much. Hero liked going down and listening to them talk. They were hilarious, mostly because they were forgetful from time to time and would move things without telling the other.

“Where are my glasses?” asked the woman. “Well, I don’t know dear. They were on your head. Did you check there?” the man would respond, all the while wearing them on his head because he thought those were his glasses.

Hero could watch them for hours and be amused. There were a few times, accidentally, where he was laughing so hard that they stopped and looked up at the trim near the ceiling. “Those neighbor kids must think something’s pretty funny.” A handful of those comments made Hero well aware he needed to be careful even when they had a hard time remembering.

The final straw in his debate on helping them first in fact came from the saddest of events. The elderly man, on night, had fallen and went to some place for him to get better called a “hospital,” but that didn’t happen.

The woman came back so very sad and Hero wanted nothing more than to cheer her up. He had to come up with something, and he had to do it quickly as he began to hear rumors that she was immigrating and could see boxes being loaded up.

It was just after dinner and his siblings were out borrowing except for his younger sister Winnie, who was far too young to go borrowing being only six. Hero stood in his room with all of his necessary supplies laid on his bed.

He had a fishing hook, a safety pin, one band-aid, a pin, battery lamp with a new borrowed bulb, a piece of razor, and a strong line which he had checked a dozen times. There were a few moments where he paused to breathe, staring at his muddled reflection in a piece of tin foil he kept in his room.

“Heroes usually have some kind of outfit or a cape. Do I need a cape? I don’t know. Capes get in the way. What about a mask? Naw, that won’t work. It might get in my eyes. This is fine for now.” Hero puffed out his chest, grabbed his backpack of supplies, and headed out through the halls.

He made sure to wave to his grandparents as he ran past their hallway. His little legs carried him at a steady pace past the pipes to the wires he had to lay on to cross from one wall joist to the next. The drop was at least a floor and would certainly be a problem if he were to slip, but the wires were coated with rubber and were nice and thick. Hero had also learned the pro-tip from his oldest brother, Atlas, of hooking the safety pin from his backpack onto the line. Since it was strapped to him, it added an extra safety measure.

Hero slowed his jog to a brisk walk as everything began setting in for him. Was he ready for something like this? He was only 13 after all. He had been borrowing on his own, but this would be different in that now he was going to purposefully move something for the human to notice and become curious about.

Hero cupped his palms and smacked his face lightly to snap himself out of it. It wasn’t like he was going to be seen or anything. Plus, the elderly woman was forgetful. Even if he were seen, she would most likely forget. Right?

The labyrinth of walls passed by quicker than expected. Before the young Borrower knew it, he was standing above one of the ceiling fan tiles that they used to observe. He could already hear the daughter and the older lady talking.

“Mom, what are you looking for?” asked the daughter.

“I… well… I’m sure I saw it in here somewhere,” the older woman replied.

“Dad’s ring?” prompted the daughter. “Mom, you looked in there already. It’s been lost for years.”

“Pish posh I remember seeing it just the other day,” the mother responded as she continued to rummage through the next box. She started taring the tape off of another when the daughter intervened.

“Here, mom, why don’t you check this box,” she suggested, but the mother shook her head.

“No, I distinctly remember seeing it by the couch. These boxes must be on top of it.”

Hero listened for a few more minutes, saddened by the encounter, now knew what he had to do – he was going to find that ring. He pulled himself from the ceiling tile, ensuring it was secure, before heading for the nearest wall that could take him to the ground, which was not a far walk. The path to and from this apartment was well used and so had a permanent line anchored to it.

The sheer drop down was enough to makes his knees weaken and his head spin with vertigo. Heights weren’t always an issue, but that little bit of nervousness was something Hero took as a good sign. If he weren’t nervous, he might miss checking something before climbing the line. There was darkness below where there was usually light. Must be a bad bulb. He wrapped his hands around the line, checked his footing, and descended the line knot after knot.

It took some time, but he finally reached the ground by the floorboards. The walls absorbed the light on his hip lamp. Small dust particles drifted around in the air, lingering as the footsteps above knocked them loose. The Christmas lights which usually illuminated most of the main hallways they traversed were still hanging on the walls on top of the thumbtacks.

Something about the air didn’t set right with Hero. There was an eerie stillness under the floorboards of the older woman’s apartment. Hero felt himself freezing. There was a nervousness in his chest. His heart was beating so incredibly fast now. When did that happen?

The determined boy couldn’t let these things bother him now. He puffed out his chest with a deep inhale and stepped further into the darkness. The joists towered above him at a whole seven inches and effectively had him surrounded on his left and right. Hero began walking up and down the floor joists, starting where he was at the entrance and working his way to the sitting area.

Hero knew where the old woman’s couch was in the apartment; and he also knew there were several wide floorboards and some holes the other Borrowers had left in case they needed to make a hasty exit. Maybe it was unlikely, but Hero suspected that if something had been knocked into the floor, it could have fallen through one of their hiding holes.

He passed by a few more unilluminated lights and noticed a few of the wires were exposed – chewed through. Suddenly, his keen ears picked up something. If he hadn’t been on edge, he might’ve missed it. The light on the hip lamp only illuminated a foot or so in every direction, but sound didn’t need the light to be heard.

A skittering sound of clawed feet scraped just on the other side of one of the joists. It stopped. Then it started again. Immediately, his heart leapt into his throat and the Borrower boy stopped dead in his tracks. Hero instinctively pulled his pin from his side and held his hip light in his right hand.

He peered around the corner and could see with his bright green eyes the small tail of a mouse skittering away from the little bit of light from Hero’s lamp. He exhaled shakily. Maybe he wouldn’t need to fight it today. He glanced down the passage and decided to follow behind carefully.

Cautious step after cautious step, Hero eventually heard the mouse head back down through the walls as he turned down the next corridor. Sadly, there were only three left for him to check.

As he walked down the next hall feeling discouraged, he realized that there was a slight glint up ahead. Still brandishing the pin, Hero stepped forward with the light extended until he recognized the shape of a circle – a ring. He had found it!

The tarnishing silver ring was thick and heavy with writing Hero didn’t recognize. Reading was something his parents insisted that he learn, but even that didn’t help him with these words. There was also some kind of glittery rock in the middle. Now all that needed to be done was get it to the humans without getting caught. This was going to be interesting.

First and foremost – move it. It took some time, but the ring was eventually wrestled into the borrowing bag. The weight was significant and made normal borrowings feel light as a feather. Still, this would not stop the mission.

Hero now had to determine where to put it. Both of the humans were still at home and, from the sound of it, things were being moved around. Hero was usually very dexterous and quick, but he was incumbered by the weight. So, going up right then and there was out of the question.

While he walked back through the halls, he made his decision. He would wait until nighttime and put it in the woman’s bedroom where he knew she could find it – her bedside table. The thought of being so terribly close to a human made his insides flip anxiously. Still, he knew he had to persevere.

The trek to the elderly woman’s room was a long one and one that was taken with caution. That mouse was still roaming around and the last thing that Hero needed was a confrontation when he was debating how to get on top of the table with the ring in tow.

While he walked, he thought of scenario after scenario. I could climb it, obviously, but the weight on my back may make me tired before I reach the top. I could try to pull it up once I climbed to the top, but that leaves me on top of the table for a bit longer than I would want. I could try and tie one end to the ring and one end to me, jump, and have it slingshot up to the top.

Before he knew it, he was under the floor of the bedroom. Hero let his pack slump off of his shoulders and onto the ground, rubbing the aching muscles and tendons in his shoulders. Up above, he could hear the sounds of feet shuffling against the ground. She must be getting ready for bed. Earlier than normal.

The teen waited until the shuffling stopped to make his move, which he finally figured out. He was going to pull the ring up onto the desk. Climbing would be too tiresome and he weighed more than the ring, even if his shoulders argued otherwise, and couldn’t control the descent.

The pack was back on his shoulders again and he was on his way. Up through the opening in the baseboard under the bed, Hero tread lightly up to the immense bedside table, extinguishing his light before arriving. His keen ears picked up on the light sound of breathing just above him. Perfect. Completely quiet.

He tied the line onto his bag tightly before removing his hook. Pause for a breath. Aim. Swing. Swing. Hero let the hook fly from his hands and heard the hook sink in with a firm knock. Perfect. He shimmied up the rope in no time, glancing over to see the sleeping woman barely two feet from him. A shiver ran down his spine. It was completely involuntary and it was only then that Hero realized this was the closest he had ever been to a human before.

Everything about them was so much bigger than him. Their faces. Those eyes. It made his head and insides flip and swirl at the very notion of their hands. Don’t think about that now. You need to get the ring back on the table. He began pulling his bag up with the line. It tapped the table a few times on its ascent, which made him freeze and watch. Not a single stir.

It wasn’t until Hero had pulled up the bag and began pulling out the ring that he heard the older woman stir, shifting under the sheets that could easily smother him. His heartrate spiked, forcing him to swallow dryly as he finished pulling the ring free from the satchel.

The ring was right there in view next to the clock and the lamp. It wouldn’t be hard to find. Hero had almost reached his line when he heard something.

“What the… what is…” the voice of the elderly woman, still saturated with a groggy tiredness. Hero’s breath hitched in his throat. Every impulse shrieked. He almost threw himself off of the table when he saw a hand beginning to emerge from beneath the quilts and covers. Instead, he threw his bag over one shoulder and grabbed the line.

The rope burned his fingers and palms and he landed on the ground with a definite thud just as the light came on. There was no time. He back peddled as fast as he could from the line, regretting using his best hook. He was halfway to the hidden entrance when he heard her speak again.

“Oh… my… Stuart’s ring…” Hero stopped in his tracks. Stuart? Was that his name? The older man? “Oh… thank you little sprite.” Hero’s breath stopped completely. Was she able to see anything? Would she look?

All he knew was he heard the clattering of his hook on the ground, a sniffly sob, and then the lights turned out again. It was a risk, but Hero needed his hook. He quickly darted back and retrieved the hook; however, just before he left, he uttered the smallest “you’re welcome” before darting back into the cover of the walls.

Mission – success! Maybe he was seen. Maybe the old woman believed in such things. He didn’t know. What was certain was he had made someone’s day a little better; and that’s all that really mattered to him.

~Thanks for reading. Have any humans Hero needs to help? Suggestions and prompts welcome down below. Stay awesome!

Continue

Previous

Beginning

[drnogender]

Oh don't even get me fucking STARTED on how many Crossovers I have for Sailor Moon and JJBA. I like to cover allll my bases ok?

Not sure how Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency would work, but time travel/displacement aus and timeline changes exist, so I'll come up with something eventually.

I have one that's Usagi and Josuke as Siblings. One with Makoto as Jotaro's sister and the school just fucked up her name (from "Kujo" to "Kino") with how many times she's changed schools. Jolyne and Usagi being best fucking friends.

And of course, Jotaro and Usagi Childhood Friends AU.

They meet as kids, both of them are about 7 years old, and they get along like a house on fire. Practically inseparable. Usagi is a born Stand User, like Kakyoin, but that doesn't stop her from making friends. She and Jotaro are friends mostly because they're both half Japanese. Having blond hair or being incredibly tall isn't exactly normal in Japan and the Japanese are known for some pretty bad xenophobia. Because of this, they're both bullied for their differences.

Usagi takes it in stride and tries to not let it get to her, but after an incident after getting the rest of the scouts together (unrelated), she decides "no, fuck it, I'm not letting this shit slide anymore," and decides to do something about it. She stops wearing the full girls uniform and wears the boys trousers instead, wears her sweater around her waist, and pops the collar of her blouse. She changes so drastically that it kinda scares the other students, but she's still the same bubbly and sweet person and she owns it.

The only thing that really changes is that before if you mess with her, you would have a crybaby pushover on your hands and having to deal with both pissed off scouts and a livid Jotaro. Now if you mess with her, the scouts and Jotaro are the last of your worries. Needless to say, it's become an unspoken rule that if you fuck with this Usagi, it's on your head. Outside of school, she still likes wearing dresses and skirts, but her style is more preppy Gyaru or Yankee now. A precursor to what Jotaro will eventually become, though his transformation is admittedly more drastic.

Usagi was always preppy and lively with a loud, emotional, and bombastic personality, so her transformation from student to delinquent isn't really as jarring because her personality is still the same. Jotaro's transformation from model student to delinquent is much more jarring because he was this sweet, quiet, and mild mannered kid that's soft-spoken, kind, and has a soft spot for animals that suddenly turns into a crude, rude punk that beats the shit out of anyone that even looks at him funny. It's like two completely different people. Where as you can still recognize Usagi as Usagi even as a delinquent, Jotaro becomes completely unrecognizable outside of physical appearance.

(Also I can't help but ship these two so Mamoru has become Naru's boyfriend instead. Naru deserves nice things, ok?)

Thing is, Usagi has Jotaro wrapped around her little finger and can see right through his delinquent act. She is the only woman that can make him cave. Anyone else and he'd be a complete jackass. Usagi? Lovesick Puppy-dog. Goes right back to a well behaved gentleman, and Usagi eats that right shit up. I'm sorry Top!Jotaro fans, but I love the "big strong character is topped by their smaller partner" trope, ok??

So once the Crusade starts, Jotaro is pretty much the same except when Usagi is involved. With anyone else he still act the same as canon, but will flip on a dime when directly interacting with Usagi. It can be a little funny to watch during a fight, him cussing out an enemy one minute then being soft and loving with Usagi the next. I can just imagine Usagi walking in with a skip in her step and the other Crusaders commenting on how she must have slept well then Jotaro trailing in behind her blissed the fuck out and limping. Or, he's in an argument with someone or just being himself (the whole "don't FUCKING touch me" thing like a moody cat) then the moment Usagi walks in, he's a big cuddle bug demanding attention.

He really is just a big cat. He doesn't like other people and will try to scratch them if they get too close except for Usagi, but if you manage to win his trust, he's gonna be softer and gentler with you. Maybe even go out of his way to seek you out, like being smoking buddies with Polnareff or hanging out with Kakyoin. Usagi doesn't just have one cat here, she's got two. Luna and Jotaro.

FUCK that got long. Sorry for the info dump, I don't get to talk about my crossovers often.

OH I LOVE ALL OF THIS!! I would love to hear more from you omg, my messages on here are open for you or hell discord if you felt like it! I love crossovers and the fact you have so many ideas for one of my favs and one I'm getting into, I have died and gone to whatever paradise there is in death. Amazing, immaculate, show stopping ideas coming from you my friend!

[solastia]

The Dragon’s Lair | 6

- Riddle Me This -

Pairing: Dragon Hybrid Namjoon x Reader

Word Count: 5,094

Notes: It feels like so much has happened and this has been going on for so long, right? But this is actually the very beginning of my long and complicated outline lmao. Anyway, it’s time to meet our Sphinx! I wonder who this could be *insert lenny face here*  And if you’re wondering if there will ever be an end to me adding other kpop fandoms: no, no there will not be. We’re catchin em all. 

The winter storms were slowly giving into the spring rains. Of course, this made everything horribly humid and muddy, but at least you weren’t snowed in for days on end anymore. 

As soon as you were able, you scheduled contractors that specialized in hybrid-friendly rooms to help get one prepared, as you fully planned on starting the adoption process for Mark when it was done. You had to make sure it had its own heating and cooling system separate from the rest of the house, insulation for winter, and UV lighting, among other things. Needless to say, it was not going to be a quick process, but Mark was safe at the shelter with Heechul’s near-constant vigilance. 

You’d also begun to clear out the barn that you’ve only been using for storage since your grandparents had adopted out all of their animals. You weren’t quite sure how serious you were yet about getting some animals in there again, but for now, it gave you something to do while construction was going on inside your home. 

You spent a lot of time throwing out or giving away anything unusable, sweeping out stalls, and scrubbing everything down until it shone like it hadn’t in years. Thankfully you still kept in touch with a lot of the people that had worked with your family over the years and it was easy to have fresh supplies brought in, half of which you weren’t even sure you’d ever use, but everyone was happy to hear that the farm was going back to work in a sense. 

Despite all these other changes, your relationship with Namjoon was settled into a comfortable path. Not to say that things were unexciting - the man never failed to find some new way to make your heart flutter - but it felt secure and steady now. Like the two of you being a forever thing was assured. It continually surprised you when you remembered that you actually hadn’t been together for very long. He felt like he’d always been there. 

Most days were simply routine. You’d both wake up at the same time and shower - together more often than not -, have breakfast and then he’d head to the shelter while you’d work in your office. At least three times a week you’d meet up to have lunch together, thankful that both of you had lenient bosses that wouldn’t freak out when an hour-long lunch turned into two or three. Once he was home for the day, the two of you usually just spent your time together. You’d watch a movie or read while you cuddled on the couch, oftentimes ignoring the screen to simply listen to him talk. The way he viewed the world was beautiful and you never grew tired of listening. 

Namjoon had put his foot down and declared date night mandatory. So every single Saturday without fail he’d drag you into town for some event or into the mountains for a hike, always doing his best to create the most romantic day possible. You’d tried to convince him that he didn’t need to do all this, that simply walking with him in the forest near your home was romantic as long as he was there, but he claimed he was still “courting” you so it wasn’t something he could just stop. You assumed that meant it was something to do with his Dragon side and let him do as he pleased. 

Once a week you’d usually tag along and go to the shelter, spending most of your time in the playrooms. According to one of the volunteers, Heechul’s shelter held an average of one hundred and fifty hybrids at any given time, which seemed an astronomical amount if one didn’t know about the secret wings and the fact that you were pretty sure he’d borrowed the whole ‘bigger on the inside’ concept. 

You tried to spend as much time as you could with all the hybrids, but as you were only one person there was only so much you could do. Still, you did have your - as Heechul called them - “cub club.” There have been many arguments in the little group about the name - starting with you wondering why they needed a name at all - since they were composed of all different species, but they gave in after Heechul’s continuous use of it and the fact that it apparently was cute, according to Namjoon. 

Basically, it was a group of hybrids that seemed to have singled you out as a clear favorite and would follow you around the moment you stepped into the building. The unspoken leader of the group was your little Mark, who was always waiting by the front door of the building when you would come in. Usually right next to him was Felix, who seemed to split his time between your cubs and Namjoon’s fan club fairly equally. Some newer friends of yours were a teen tiger hybrid named Seonghwa, and wolf pup siblings Changkyun and Jooheon. There were a few others that came and went, but these were your regular crew. 

Today was one of your shelter days, and you were once again surrounded in the playrooms. Mark was sitting next to you with his raccoon hybrid friend Donghyuck, who was an honorary member of Star’s Cubs at this point with how often he was attached to Mark. They were both coloring a picture of their dream bedroom - a sneaky idea you’d gotten so that you could have Mark’s room ready and decorated when the adoption finalized. 

Felix was having a Namjoon day, so after he’d run up to hug you when you’d first arrived, he’d gone right back to the class that Namjoon was currently teaching. You’d probably see him again at lunch, and then he’d talk a mile a minute about everything Namjoon was teaching him and demand cuddles. 

Changkyun and Jooheon were currently wrestling around on the floor near your feet. They were a complicated pair. They had both been found in the wild several months ago, seemingly without any sort of parents or guardians whatsoever. The boys themselves weren’t sure, but you judged them to be around nine or ten. They were smart kids but had obviously been living on their own for quite some time. They mentioned a “her” a few times, speaking of someone from their memories that would make certain foods or clean them, but they couldn’t remember who she was. Their mother, you assumed. 

Needless to say, they were perhaps not the most well-mannered children, but they were sweet and eager to please. To you, at least. The other volunteers usually tried to interact with them as little as possible after a few too many bites and temper tantrums, often referring to them as feral monsters. You had, of course,  taken that up with Heechul, but the damage had already been done and they were labeled as such by everyone. From the day Jooheon had met you, however, he’d decided you “smelled nice” and would bring you scraps from their dinners (that they apparently hoarded - bad habits left from living in the wild). It had taken Changkyun a little longer to warm up to you, but one day he’d just walked up and pushed Felix out of your lap and took his place. You’d scolded him and made him apologize, but you’d let him stay, deciding it had probably been a very long time since he’d been hugged by anyone besides his brother. They’d gotten better about waiting their turn and learning to ask first, but you still went out of your way to cuddle them as much as they’d let you. 

Seonghwa sat nearby doing his homework. He was...interesting. It was the nicest thing you could think of to say about that whole situation. The thing was, he was a nice kid. Almost seventeen, had been here for a few years. Definitely beautiful, no denying that. You didn’t know too much about his past yet, as you hadn’t wanted to pry and he didn’t volunteer much information. He helped you with the younger kids a lot though, asked you about your work, was genuinely sweet, and fun to talk to when he was just chill. The issue was...you were apparently his “first love.” 

He wasn’t creepy about it or anything. He really was super sweet. He would bring you flowers and treats, help you carry anything heavy, and was just really attentive. Unfortunately, then he’d start walking around you in circles, staring intently with his tail flicking around in the air as he sang to you. He had a sweet voice, but they were of course all highly inappropriate love songs to be singing to an older woman. And according to Namjoon, the circling and singing thing was a tiger courting ritual, so you took great care not to acknowledge it. You’d tried letting him down as gently as possible, but somehow he seemed to just consider it more of a challenge, and you really didn’t want to be mean and be his first heartbreak as well. Namjoon surprisingly - or not since he could be a brat himself - thought it was hilarious. He’d often ask how your tiger cub was doing, laughing when you’d swat him. Of course, he was still a territorial dragon, so he would occasionally go out of his way to kiss you with a bit too much tongue or pinch your butt where everyone could see to get the message of your status across. 

Things at the shelter have been fairly quiet and routine, as far as such a big place could be. That’s why you were awfully surprised when Heechul storms into the playroom looking distraught and frazzled. He brightens slightly when he spots you, rushing over and placing his hands on his hips. 

“You’d be perfect, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that earlier!” 

You frown, thoroughly confused. “Thanks, I think. For what?” 

He clucks and shakes his head. 

“We have an exotic on his way here. He was one of mine that I raised until he was ten, and then he was adopted by this lovely couple. Unfortunately, they were a bit too old even then, but they adored Seokjin so I let him go.” He sighs wearily and flops into a nearby recliner. “They passed away last year and left him everything. He’d been living on his own just fine until someone tried to rob the place and he ended up hurt. Then the police of course had to see his medical records and - surprise! - a hybrid had been running around owning a house and living free for an entire year and they don’t like that. They were going to send him to a state-run hybrid institution, which essentially means death if you’re not a baby or usable on the black market. So, he called me in a panic and I have it all settled with the police that he’s officially one of ours and they don’t have to worry about him anymore. But he’s too used to independence to stuff him back into regular hybrid life, so I was thinking maybe you could foster him? Just like, let him hang out at your place until we figure out some way he can go back to living how he likes?” 

“I mean, I have to check in with Namjoon, but I don’t see why not. What kind of hybrid is he?” 

“Sphinx,” Heechul answered, his deadpan voice at odds with his amused eyes. 

“A what now?” 

“Sphinx. You know, part bird, lion and man. Likes riddles. Has big statues.” 

“Sure, why not,” you sigh. This place really made your brain hurt. 

Heechul chuckled and reached out to pat your shoulder. 

“Thanks. I know it’s a lot to deal with right now, with your new romance and getting ready for Mark, but Seokjin deserves a chance. I think you’ll like him.” 

“You know, it’s really creepy when you do that. At least let me tell you with words what I’m planning about Mark.” 

“I didn’t even need to use magic to see that’s where it was headed. He’s basically already yours,” he scoffs, standing up with a light groan. 

“When is this Seokjin going to be here?” 

“He’s on his way to the shelter now. I figured he could just come here first, meet you and have dinner with everyone, then head home with you guys after. If that’s okay.” 

“Again, just have to check with Joon, but it should be fine. Sphinx and dragons aren’t like, mortal enemies or anything, are they?” 

Heechul grins, “Hardly. In fact, I remember they were actually pretty good friends when they were little. Jin was older and would tolerate Joonie like a big brother. Not sure how well Namjoon remembers him, though.” 

“Alright, I guess. Joon’s class is over in a few minutes. I’ll go talk to him now.” 

“Thanks, Star!” 

You shake your head as he flounces away, wondering when he’d started using that name too. At this point, that was basically your official name. 

“Does that mean you’re going to have to stay home all the time? To take care of a new hybrid?” 

A little sniffle came from your right as you registered the fact that your cubs had just been quietly listening to your conversation with Heechul. Mark’s eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears and you quickly snatched the boy up and cuddled him close. 

“Of course not, sweetheart. By the sounds of it, he’s older than both me and Joon, so he’s not going to need much looking after. He basically just needs a place to crash until he figures out what to do.” 

“Oh,” he sniffles again, and you try not to laugh about the fact that it’s not helping, as his nose is starting to water too. “So you’ll still come to see me?” 

“Of course! And as soon as the farm is cleaned up you can come to visit me too. How does that sound?” 

“Really? And Felix? And Hyuckie? And...and…”

“Yes,” you interrupt, knowing the boy will try to name literally everyone he’s ever talked to. “Anyone that wants to visit will be able to. I just wanted to make sure it’s safe first, so no one gets sick.” 

“Okay!” Mark squeezes you clumsily but is quickly back to being a ray of sunshine and crawling off of you to go back to his picture. 

“Seonghwa,” you call, snorting inwardly as the tiger practically jumps to attention, “Watch the kids for a bit, okay? I’m going to see Namjoon.” 

He nods quietly and sets his books down, smiling softly as he watches you leave the room. 

*** 

As you’d expected, Namjoon was more than agreeable to the idea of helping his childhood friend but was understandably concerned over how his dragon instincts would react to another creature in his new den with his new...well, mate. (Although he insists that you aren’t official mates yet. And he blushes and refuses to answer whenever you ask what makes you official).

“It’s just, like, I don’t want to stress him out even more, you know? If he’s already going through all this, then I don’t want to be growling and snapping at him,” Namjoon sighed as he stood with you in the lobby, grasping your hand tightly as you both waited for Seokjin to show up. 

“I know, but Heechul told me that Seokjin is the only one of his kind as well so if anyone were to understand that this is a learning situation and not blame you for it, it would be someone like him, right?” 

Namjoon shrugs, “I guess. From what I remember, Jin hyung was really outspoken too, so I think he’d be sure to let me know if I do something to offend him.” 

“And if all else fails, you can just take him behind the house and piss on him,” you try to hide your grin as you tease him. 

He growls playfully, leaning down to tug your hair. “Watch it. I’ll mark you next.” 

“I thought you already did,” you quirk an eyebrow as you refer to certain activities that had taken place before he’d let you leave your bed that morning. 

“Hey, let's keep the rating down in my presence, please,” Heechul sighs wearily from the other side of you. 

The two of you fight valiantly to keep your giggles under control, only able to stop fully once a taxi pulls up in front of the building and nerves once again take over. 

The man that steps out takes even your breath away - quite a feat considering how whipped you were for your own boyfriend. He’s tall, nearly as tall as Namjoon, and has a regal bearing. He has a face that many would pay millions for, with full lips and wide expressive eyes. His hair and lion ears were the same mahogany brown shade, as was the fluffy tip of his long tail. It seemed he had no trouble showing off his lion side. You weren’t sure if that’s all there was to his transformation though, considering he was a Sphinx, not just a lion. 

He turned to pay the driver, who was actually smiling and laughing like the two of them were old friends. Seokjin reached out and shook the man’s hand heartily and shoved what was apparently too much money towards him if the way the man tried to argue about it was any indication. You supposed this meant Seokjin was the friendly sort, which boded well. 

You were a little confused by the fact that the hybrid was only carrying a single suitcase. Perhaps he had left the rest behind to be picked up later? From what Heechul had told you, the hybrid had grown up in a fairly wealthy household, spoiled and doted on. You would think he would be walking in here with twenty name brand suitcases, and yet here he was with only a small rolling suitcase meant for a child with Mario on it. Something about that felt wrong. 

The hybrid seemed fine, however, breezing through the front door with a wide smile like all was right in the world. He stopped right in front of Heechul and stared at him a moment, cocking his head. 

“You haven’t changed a bit, hyung. You don’t have a single new wrinkle. Are you trying to compete with me?” 

Heechul huffs and reaches out to hug the man. Seokjin laughs quietly, pulling Heechul into a bear hug so fierce Heechul squeaks a little. He releases him and pats him on the shoulder before he turns to Namjoon. 

“Don’t tell me you’re little Joon bug? You can’t be anyone else, with those dimples. I used to swear I could use them as cereal bowls if we ever ran out.” 

Namjoon shyly looks down and kicks his foot, but he’s smiling. “Hi, Seokjin-ssi. It’s nice to see you again.” 

The hybrid waves his hand carelessly, “Just call me hyung, Namjoon. Or even just Jin.  We don’t need honorifics with our kind.” 

Namjoon nods and pulls you closer, drawing the Sphinx’s attention. His thick brow raises your way as his smile quirks mischievously. 

“And this must be Miss Star, the one I’ve been hearing so much about,” he raises up his hand like he’s going to shake yours, but the moment you grasp it he holds on tightly. His face suddenly settles into serious lines as he looks down into your eyes. 

“Answer me this. As small as your thumb, I am light in the air. You may hear me before you see me, but trust that I’m here.” 

You hadn’t been prepared for this, for some reason. Duh, Sphinx’s whole thing was about riddles. 

You bite your lip and give it some thought for a moment. “A hummingbird?” 

His smile brightens back up and he releases your hand before he slaps Namjoon’s back. 

“Hey, she’s smart. You got a good one” 

“Yeah…” Namjoon answers dreamily, staring down at you with a dopey grin. You blush and grab his hand. 

Jin’s arm was back to flailing around again, and you were wondering if he was in control of his limbs or if it was the other way around. 

“Hey, listen, want to hear a joke about construction?” he asks. You’re not sure if he really expects an answer, but you squeak out a somewhat genuine sounding “Sure,” anyway. 

“I'm still working on it,” he answers, before cackling loudly, his laughter practically shaking the glass windows as he slaps his leg in amusement. 

You decide, if nothing else, he seems easy to keep entertained. 

You politely laugh and wait for him to finish before taking the chance to steer the conversation in another direction. 

“Are you hungry? We thought we’d stay and have dinner here before we went home. Only if you’re comfortable with that, though.” 

“I’m famished,” Jin answered, slapping his flat and obviously in-shape stomach like it was the opposite. “I wouldn’t mind sticking around. Kyungsoo still the cook here?” 

“Yup. And Wendy is making dessert,” Heechul tells him as he grabs the little suitcase. 

“Sounds great.” 

It hadn’t escaped your notice that no one brought up his past owners or any difficult subjects. You sigh quietly as you walk behind everyone as they went to the dining room, knowing that it was probably going to be all up to you. 

***

Dinner had gone as it usually did, with only the occasional fights to break up between over-enthusiastic kids. You used the time to observe Seokjin, trying to see what you could pick up about him in a group setting like this. He was polite and charming, yes, but very quick to steer the conversation away from himself. You supposed he wasn’t ready to talk about his problems, which was fine. You had time. 

He was also an enthusiastic eater and at one point seemed to have an almost mini-competition going on with the elephant hybrid over who could eat the most. You’d decided to break it up before anyone found out since the elephant was only seven and didn’t need to compete with a grown man. 

Seokjin and Namjoon seemed to get on perfectly well, thank goodness. Jin treated him like a little brother - making sure his bowl was full, teasing him every time he stared at you, telling him at least five jokes about giants. 

The man didn’t seem to have a shred of animosity in him at all, which would normally be a good thing. If one didn’t take into account what had happened to him. He should be upset and crying, or at least mad. Irritated. But he seemed more like he was just visiting some dear old friends, with nothing to fret about. That worried you more than anything because the poor man was probably just really good at covering it up then, and you hoped you’d be able to help him. Or that he’d even let you. 

These thoughts plagued you the whole way home, as you occasionally peeked into the rear view mirror to see Jin sitting quietly with his tiny suitcase that you still hadn’t been able to bring yourself to ask about. 

At least he was here with the two of you, somewhere he could be safe and have people looking out for him. That was the best you could do for now. 

After you show him to a spare bedroom, he thanks you quietly, smiling with his lips but not his eyes. The door closes and you sigh, retreating to your own room to wrap yourself in Namjoon’s arms. It haunts you that something like this could happen to him if anything were to happen to you. That he would get sent back to the shelter with nothing, despite the fact that you wanted to give him the entire world. You’ll have to ask Heechul what you can do to make sure he’s safe. 

***

When you wake up the next morning, it’s to the smell of meat cooking. Normally, this would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, you’ve been living with Namjoon for far too long and your mind now associated unsupervised cooking with near-death experiences, so instead your first reaction is terror. 

You jump out of bed, unmindful of your state of near-undress, and run to the kitchen. Your ears are hyper tuned to every sound, waiting for bellows of pain, but so far you simply hear the slap of your bare feet against wood and sizzling from a pan. 

You round the corner and grab the wall, catching your breath as you stare into the kitchen. Namjoon is sitting at the bar eating a heaping plateful of scrambled eggs and cheese, giggling as Seokjin preforms some a dirty gesture involving sausages and eggs. The Sphinx is standing over the stove with your bright pink apron, confidently cooking away, and both men are fine. You breathe a sigh of relief, slumping slightly as the tension leaves your body. Both men turn at the sound, smiling in greeting. 

“Morning, baby. Jin’s making breakfast. He’s a good cook!” 

“I see that. Morning, everyone,” you reply, walking in and trying not to let on how nervous you’d been. You peck Namjoon’s cheek and peek over the bar at the stove. 

Jin meets your eye and smiles mischievously like he knows what you were concerned about. 

“And here is one for you, madame,” he says with a flourish, setting a plate in front of you piled high with food and even garnished with a couple of tiny flowers from the garden. 

“Wow,” you blurt, honestly astounded by his skill. Everything looked perfect and you couldn’t wait to dig in. 

“What’s with that look?” He says loudly, quirking an eyebrow at you. “You just fell for me, didn’t you? Ah, I’m too charming.” 

You laugh and take a bite, nervously peeking at Namjoon to see if he’d taken the joke too seriously. Seokjin must have magic in his food because you doubted the dragon had even heard since he was too busy shoveling food in his mouth like you’d been starving him for months. 

“Slow down,” you cluck and tap his shoulder. He turns and grins at you with a disgustingly full mouth.

“Isth good,” he mumbles, and you laugh despite your disgust. 

“I can see that.” 

You swirl your fork around as you watch Jin settle in with his own plate, letting him get a few bites in before you strike. 

“So, Joonie and I both took the day off to help you get settled in. We figured you might need to do some shopping or something. I know the bedroom is pretty bare since we were focusing on another room right now.” 

Jin glances up and for a moment his gaze is troubling. You’d seen the brief flash of melancholy before he’d covered it up with a charming smile. 

“I could use a few things to tide me over until I’m out of your hair, I suppose. I do have my own money, but most places around here won’t let you shop without a license.” 

“That was nice of them to leave you money, They must have been good owners.” 

His eyes cloud over and he glances away from you, staring at one of the windows. 

“They were amazing parents. But the money that they left for me got taken away. I believe everything went to my Mom’s cousin - someone she didn’t even really know.”

“I thought you said you had money?” 

“I...uhh...had some stashed away. My dad never liked banks - didn’t trust them. He always had a rule that whenever you used your card, you should take out some cash and squirrel it away just in case. So we’d always take a little out and stash it in this fake book. From the outside it looks like Crime And Punishment, and who reads that willingly?” he snorts, peeking over at Namjoon. “Besides this kid, obviously.” 

Namjoon just shrugs, unbothered with the truth. 

“But...Jin hyung, you mean they kept everything?” 

The Sphinx sighs wearily and drops his fork, reaching up to rub his forehead. 

“Everything. The cousin’s lawyer grabbed my old suitcase from storage and told me I could keep anything I could fit in there as long as he approved of it. I got some clothes, my mom’s recipe book, my dad’s favorite fishing lures, and the stash of cash because he thought it was just another book,” Jin shrugs like he’s just telling a story, never mind that the sound of your heart breaking was probably audible at this point. 

“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” you murmur, struggling to stay calm for his sake. 

He shrugs. “No big. I’m a hybrid. Should have expected it.” 

“No, you should not have. People treat actual animals better than they do hybrids and it’s disgusting. I’m so very sorry. I know nothing I say can erase what’s been done to you. Just know that you are safe here and welcome in my home for as long as you like.” 

Jin opens his mouth to say something but snaps it shut again like he can’t figure out what to say. Namjoon grins proudly at you and slaps Jin’s shoulder. 

“Told you, hyung. She’s the best. And she’s right. You are welcome here and I can assure you that I feel no urge to fry you to a crisp.” 

“I...was not aware that was a potential issue. Thanks for not ruining my beautiful face, I guess,” Seokjin says, obviously done with the serious talk and choosing to fall back into humor. 

“And with that settled, I should probably go put on some pants. Thanks for the breakfast! We’ll meet up and go shopping in an hour, yeah?” 

You grin at them both and leave the room, the smile dropping the moment you were sure they couldn’t see. 

Poor Seokjin. 

He had grown up loved and cared for by those people, and just because he was a hybrid he’d lost everything. The fact that this could easily be Namjoon’s story if you were to kick it tomorrow didn’t sit well with you, either. You needed to figure something out that could stop this from happening. Or at least figure out somewhere hybrids could go besides back into shelters. It seems like an impossible task, but one that needs doing, obviously. 

As laughter filters towards you from the kitchen, you smile. One thing is for sure, your first task is going to be convincing Seokjin that he’s already home. 

[oddsnendsfanfics]

Unraveling at the Seams Pt 3

Genre: Fan Fiction Pairing: Alex Høgh Andersen/OFC, Henry Cavill/OFC Warnings: Language, Sexual Innuendo, Possible NSFW Rating: M Length: Multi Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.  

A/N: Allow me to give you all a little something, for my birthday. 

thank you @flowers-in-your-hayr​ for the header :D

Catch Up Here

The weekend had been slower than usual, a welcoming relief from work for all who were involved. Jordan had casually asked Nell and Ivan over to watch a game on Sunday, only to be declined due to Ivan's own involvement in a local youth football league. They had a match Sunday morning and Nell wasn't confident that her son would be up for that much excitement for one day – not if she wanted him in bed at a decent hour for school the next morning.

“I thought they usually came over to watch the matches.” Alex tried his best not to look like a stalker, peering around the corner and out the window that looked into the courtyard at Jordan and Sophie's. On the stairs across the yard, Nell sat with her phone in hand, staring down at the screen.

“They do, but I think they're busy this afternoon.” Jordan replied ignoring the fact that Alex was spying on the neighbours. “Now come on, get over here and watch the fucking game.”

“Uh, in a second.”

“Dude, don't be that guy. Stop oogling the poor woman, you do enough of that at work.” Marco smirked and tossed a chip at Alex.

A middle finger extended in reply to Marco; Alex chuckled and left the window.

Would it look too desperate if he went for a smoke?

What would Nell think? He knew what Jordan and Marco would think and say.

Marco teased his friend relentlessly about the costume designer and his crush. Nell was lovely and fun to talk with, she made the long days less mundane and was always smiling, unless you were Alex. Marco had worked with her as long as Alex and Jordan, living with Alex gave him an edge on exactly how his friend saw the woman across the courtyard.

The crush had been on-the-spot.

They had walked in for their first fitting and Alex was slack jawed, nearly tripping over himself in her presence. Nell ignored him, a wise move Marco thought, though it caused Alex to be a bigger pest. Two years he had been admiring this woman and was still struggling to get a decent conversation in.

“Why don't you ask her out?” Sophie joined the conversation, glancing over her shoulder at the window to see Nell still sitting on the steps.

Nell was guarded, sure, and at the end of the day she was still a woman. On more than one occasion Nell had revealed how lonely she felt. Ivan and her job were the only things she had in Ireland, possibly the only two things she had regardless where she was.

“Don't torment him.” Jordan smirked. Nell would never agree to a date with Alex.

She didn't date actors, anymore, nor did she want somebody who was barely able to function around her. Alex was a great guy and a fantastic friend; Jordan had a few doubts about his abilities to truly woo and keep a woman. The other actor rarely went on dates and when he did, they never lasted longer than one night.

Marco snickered. “Can you even talk to her?”

“I can talk to her.” Alex defended. Quietly he took the ribbing. Sophie knew Nell the best out of the four people in the room, her suggestion had felt like less teasing and that had the wheels turning in Alex's mind.

He could casually ask her the next time he brought her a coffee at work. Or should he go big and grand? Send her a bouquet of flowers, asking her when they arrived?

He had saw a bouquet of peach roses on her work top one day, he remembered the dozen roses vividly. They were bright and cheery, they had everybody commenting on them. Nell would blush and say they were from a friend. Probably her boyfriend at the time.

Alex had heard through the grapevine that the costume designer hadn't dated anybody in a serious manner, in a long time. Men were fickle about women with children, a shame because Alex loved kids. Ivan, from what he could piece together, was comical. The little boy was smart and had no issue telling adults how it was.

“What's going on in that thick head?” Marco launched another chip at Alex. “Day dreaming about your girlfriend?”

“Fuck off.” Alex quipped, tossing half of the crumbled chip back at Marco. “She's not my girlfriend.”

“But you want her to be.” Marco winked at Jordan and Sophie, extending his arm around his body and turning his back to them. Imitating a couple making out. “Oh Alexxxxx.”

Laughter filled the room at Alex's expense. Cheers and whoops from Jordan enjoying Marco's performance.

“Cut it out, leave him be.” Sophie defended Alex's dignity against the other two. “Let him alone.” even she giggled at Marco's over the top theatrics.

“At least somebody in the room looks out for me,” Alex wasn't at all hurt or insulted by the joking.

“Why don't you ask her out?” Sophie's tone told him she was on a serious level now. “Ask her for coffee or something. Invite her to a nice brunch. She was telling me how much she misses getting dressed up and going out on Sundays.”

“Ask her, mate. Tell her we'll watch Ivan for the morning and go have fun.” Jordan's eyes never left the tv as he spoke.

“I don't know.”

What would he say? How would he do it? He couldn't simply walk up and ask her. Could he? Nell would likely laugh at him, shoot him down, and never speak to him again. Alex had a reputation of being able to talk and make friends with anyone, but women were sometimes his faltering point. Especially ones he had a particular interest in.

“What? Come on, you may as well ask. What is the worse that could happen? She says no and you have to pick up your pride? Shameful.” Marco was now changing his tune about this.

If Alex were to go out on a date, then maybe Marco wouldn't have to listen to him moan about how he had shit luck with women.  Alex needed to get laid, this could be the ticket to such things. Marco hated how his roommate became a whiny little bitch because he was getting sexually frustrated.

“I don't know. What would I say? What would we do? How would I ask?” Alex scratched the shaved part of his head. “Do I tell her she can bring Ivan? Will she think it's a joke? Do I bring her flowers? I don't know.”

“Calm down, is the first step.” Sophie coached. Placing a hand on Alex's arm, she tried to soothe his nerves. “I will help you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Help him with what? How not to get punched in the face?” Jordan teased. “Nell is proud, don't be cocky.”

Until now, Alex's only fear had been that she rejected him. Nell wouldn't physically harm him, would she? No, Jordan was being a dick nothing more.

“What do you even know about her?” Marco questioned, remembering he had a beer on the table. If they were going to plot this poor woman's nightmare, he wanted his excuse to be he was drunk.

“She has a son. She's from somewhere in Canada,” Alex thought for a moment. He didn't want help, despite Jordan looking as if he wanted to fill in all the blanks. “Uh. She's lived here before, but moved to...was it London?” Sophie nodded eagerly. “She has siblings? She likes scotch and peach roses.”

“Very good.” Sophie applauded lightly. “But don't bring up the roses. She hates that.”

“Really? She had a big bunch of them on her work station a few months ago.” Marco tipped his beer.

“It's a thing between her and Henry. You don't want to remind her of her ex on a first date.” Sophie carefully guided the wayward men.

“What kind of dickhead name is Henry?” Alex snorted.  Now he had the name of the guy who had hurt her.

Fuck you Henry!

“Henry of England. Henry Winkler, Henry Ford, Henry Cavill, Henry Thomas, Henry...” Marco thought hard for a moment. “No that is all I have. Needless to say, they all sound like douchebags.”

“Why do you know so many Henry's?” Jordan was puzzled. Marco shrugged, leaving the conversation at hand to explain he knew a lot of random shit. Launching him and Jordan into a new conversation, allowing Alex and Sophie to focus on the task at hand.

Tapping his fingers on the table top, Alex sat staring into space. He needed something to go on, a solid plan for asking. Something tactful, but classy. Walking into the design room wasn't going to cut it. Walking across the courtyard and knocking on her door was plain stalkerish.

“So, what now?” He turned to Sophie, needing all the help he could get.

On the front step, in the warm afternoon sun, Nell knew she was being watched. She couldn't see the person watching her from inside the townhouse, she could feel their stare. It was the same familiar stare that followed her at work.

Oh Alex.

“Are you with still with me, Janelle?” She focused on the screen at a sweaty man, eyes dancing, and dark curls smashed under a ball cap.

Fuck him and that blue tank top. Nell tried not to laugh, thinking of how his chest reminded her of the try hard harlots who would wear the push up bras in attempt to get their bosom to their throats.

The video call had come while Ivan was upstairs playing, which meant Nell would have time to take the call, getting any details she had yet to reveal to her son. If there was time, she would pass the phone off and let him talk with his father until one of them decided to run off and do something else.

“Copy that, Mr. Cavill.” She calmly replied,  glancing up. Her peeping Dane was gone. “You look a little out of breath. Hard run today?” It was no secret the man moved like a sloth while running.

“Don't want to discuss it.” Henry shook his head at her teasing. Nell could outrun him with a broken leg and took great joy in reminding him. “Are you outside?” Behind her head the front of a house loomed and there was a sliver of sky beyond that.

“I am. It's too nice to sit inside.”

She would never tell him that she didn't want Ivan to hear her, in case it was another disappointment call. More than once his father would say he wanted to visit and then have to cancel. Schedules changed, it was nature of the job, having to explain that to a child never got easier. Leaving the poor boy with disappointment for days.

“Is it still as lovely there in summer as I remember?”

“Humid, but beautiful as always.” Nell nodded.

“I can't wait. I think I may have you book a room. Put it under your name and I will cover the costs. Perhaps something that will be suited for Ivan to stay with me? Unless of course you would prefer he comes to stay with me at home?” Henry shrugged. “If you want some time to yourself.”

“What are you saying?”

“You need to get out more. Find a hobby? Have some fun.” She hardly left the house outside of work.

“I have fun.”  Nell blurted out. Henry, wisely, didn't say another word. Nell huffed. “And you can come here.” Ivan enjoyed London, but it wouldn't hurt for him to spend time with his father in his own environment for a change. If they were here, then Nell felt she could keep her wits about her.  “I mean, you can stay here. At my place.”

Nell spotted Sophie pass by and waved. Waving back, the peppy blonde smiled and disappeared. Later on, Nell would venture over with a bottle of Château Montus Madiran that she had picked up, when she'd got the first phone call to say her summer plans were being ruined. One drink gone and the rest of the bottle was glaring at her every time she passed it.

“Will you be comfortable with that?”

“I will stay in a hotel,” Nell offered without thinking. “My place is fairly quiet and this will give Ivan a chance to show you all of the things he's constantly talking about.”

Sending a handful of video games or action figures to London was simple enough. What they couldn't send was the park and the duck pond that Ivan was constantly telling his father about. Packing an entire youth football league would also be a challenge. Nell would love to watch as the upscale home was overrun with muddy children, maybe another time. Who was she trying to kid, Henry would love that. He'd be the ring leader.

Ireland would be a bigger challenge. Taking Henry out of his element. He would spend his time looking over his shoulder, worrying about not only his, but Ivan's privacy. In London he had a handle on who would be coming and going, in Dublin there would be an unknown and uncomfortable factor. Nell would enjoy that.

The one time there had been any issues, was when a debate sparked online. Was the boy a family friend? A God-Son? His own child? Eventually people grew bored of arguing with one another, settling the debacle when a wizard of a publicist asked for the child's privacy. Ivan was young and aware that he had to be mindful when he spoke to people or went places with his father, though he never seemed bothered when the odd person would stop Henry and ask for a moment of time. It was normal, in a strange way, to the boy. He would wait patiently often milling around close by. Henry's mammoth of a dog warning off any body who dare look at Ivan.

“And Kal?” Obviously Henry had to have a place for the bear masquerading as a dog.

“My place is pet friendly, no worries. Kal can come as well.”

“Excellent, I know how much he loves Ivan.”

The black and white dog  was the object of Ivan's affection as well.

Nell had vetoed the idea of having a pet, a child and an animal were too much for one person to wrangle and look after. When Ivan was older, if he still wanted a pet, then they would discuss it. Whatever they ended up with as a pet, would certainly not be a 100 and something pound dog. Kal was lovely and if he suited Henry, fine. Ivan could love on and play with the giant canine on his father's time.

“I have the dates, I was hoping that the end June until the second week of July would work? If they don't, then we can discuss and find something that works for both of us.” Henry wasted no time getting back to business. He had a limited time frame and wanted to chat with Ivan as well, before he had to go.

“I'm done the second week of June and don't have to be back until mid July. Send me the exact dates, I will make sure to set something up.”

“If I am putting you out in any way, you would tell me? I don't want to disturb your plans.” Of course he was diplomatic, too.

“You're not.” Lie. “It will be nice to have you here. Ivan will love it. Though, I'm not telling him until you're here. I want it to be a surprise.”

“Brilliant. I love that. I won't say a word, we can surprise him together.” Henry beamed. He understood that the surprise element was a matter of protection. Schedules were hectic at times, if he failed to make it, Ivan would be crushed. How did one boy get so lucky, having a mom like the one his son had. “Hopefully the wild boy finds dear ol' dad a good surprise.”

“I am sure he will find it a fantastic surprise.” Nell smiled softly. “And I am sure you want to talk to him?” Henry nodded. “He's upstairs, hold on I'll take you to him.”

Monday came fast and hard. Nell hadn't realized how little she managed to get done the previous day, until 3:30am hit and she was anything but prepared for work. Ivan's lunch was ready and his school uniform clean, the least she could do for Bridie who was coming over at the ass crack of dawn to take over the household for the day.

In an absolute state of disarray, having woke from a restless night tossing and turning – a pattern that was unavoidable whenever she spoke to or saw Henry – Nell drug herself out of the house and to set. It was going to be the longest day. Fingers crossed there would be a lull and she could steal on of the extra beds set out for the actors. Nobody would notice if she stepped away for a short cat nap.

Today was going to be...interesting to say the least.

“Morning, Nell.” Alex held out a take away cup from her favourite cafe. He was the first person Nell had saw since arriving. “I uh, Jordan told me how much you liked their coffee. It's my favourite, too.” he added fairly fast.

“Uh, thanks.” Nell accepted the coffee with a smile. How sweet of him. Deep down Nell could admit Alex wasn't that bad. “How was your weekend?”

“Same shit, different weekend.” Alex chuckled following Nell into the room. Holding the door open for her, like the gentleman his mother had raised. “And yours?”

“It was okay.”

“That's good.” He took a sip of coffee, hoping to find courage and words at the bottom of the hot, dark, liquid. “Busy week ahead.”

“Extremely, I'll be shocked it any of us leave here before next Monday.” Nell commented setting her coffee down on the nearest table, flipping on lights and checking stations as she went. “Are you here or one of the other sets this week?”

“I am all over.” Alex confirmed with a sigh. He loved his job. It was rewarding and more than he could have ever dreamed, like any job when you were this close to a break, each day drug on for an eternity. In a few short weeks, he could kick back with family and friends at home in Copenhagen.

“Keeps the days from ever being boring.” This morning talking with Alex had been easier than any other. Something about his lack of idle chatter was refreshing. Or maybe it was Nell's need for a distraction.

Coughing, he rubbed the back of his neck. Monday  morning, first thing, was an unlikely time and place to ask a girl on a date and yet Alex had to try it out. He'd stayed up almost all night going over this moment in his head. Laying awake, he'd almost gone into Marco's room to get some coaching from his friend. Thinking better of the rash decision, Alex had let Marco sleep.

“Nell.” He went suddenly shy. Nell hummed and tilted her head in his direction, a sign that he had her attention despite her looking over a set of notes from a previous shoot. “I uh, I have something to ask and if you say no, then I will never ask this again.” He bit his bottom lip. Asking somebody for coffee had never been so difficult. A sign he was into her more than he expected. Or so Sophie had told him.

“Would, I mean, if you want...” Alex stammered. “Do you want to get together and have coffee? Outside of work? Maybe? Sometime?”

“Are you asking me out?” Nell's reaction was calm and reined in. Lifting her head to look at Alex, she held his gaze.

Alex had expected her to burst out laughing or her to tell him to fuck right off. There was still time for either or both to happen.

“Kind of, but not on a date or anything. Unless you want it to be. It's more of two people hanging out and getting to know one another.”

“Hmm.”

“Sophie told me to.” He blurted out before he could engage his mind to mouth filter.

Nell held his gaze, uncertainty was settled and Alex knew he had been defeated. Time to quit his job, move away, and change his name never to be located again. He had royally fucked it up this time. What made him think she would ever want to speak to him outside of being polite at work? Damn it, Sophie filling his head with fantasy and fairy tales.

“What if you join me for that scotch, instead?” Nell dropped the ball as easily as breathing.

All the air that had been held up in Alex's lungs escaped.  A smile broke on his face. “I would like that. Yeah.”

“Good, what about Friday at eight?”

“Yeah. Yes. I will pick you up?”

“It's a date, then.” Nell held up her coffee, in a cheers manner. Where the hell had that come from? She should have put a stop to this, but...why? A harmless drink never hurt anybody.

“You need to get out more. Find a hobby? Have some fun.” Henry's words echoed in the moment.

A date. Nell had been the one to call it a date. Not him. No, not Alex. Wow Monday was going great and it was only 5:45am! Huh, Monday. Whoever said Monday sucks had never been in this position.

@funmadnessandbadassvikings , @kawennote09, @smutgoblin , @nickysurfer28 , @peaceisadirtyword, @igetcarriedawaywithyou , @lif3snotouttogetyou, @akamaiden @angelaiswriting, @neeadinghugs, @thoughtsmeander2tumblingblindly, @ilvebeenabad , @naaladareia, @imgoldielikehawn @tephi101, @sdcyumyum @unacceptabletatertots, @sparklemichele , @titty-teetee , @smolasianwinterbean , @capitanostella , @captstefanbrandt @bloodyivar  , @normanallthewayforever  , @blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme , @imyourliquor-youremypoison , @nikky-the-writer  , @seremedyxiii , @laketaj24 , @deleteidentity , @tornupandbored , @hoeghfabulous , @ateliefloresdaprimavera  , @mydarlingwhim , @kenzieam , @jar-of-love ,  @angelswannawearmyredshooz , @manuugxlvis  , @lost-in-my-thoughs , @ivars-snowflake , @lisinfleur , @fumblingthroughchaos @pebblesz892 , @nelson-and-murdock , @nothingeverdies, @bluearchersstuff  @itsspecial-itsnotforeveryone, @ivarlothbroks, @badassbaker  @cris101071 @fucktrucks @ohjules @mrsadrianraines  @angelic-kisses13 @whenimaunicorn @marthasantos95 @atlanticowe @hows-my-hair @omgshuddupmeg @moviegirl50 @havenoffandoms @gearhead66​ @happydaysandersen​ @rekdreams-fandom​ @lovemylife2618​ @supernaturalvikingwhore​ @heavenly1927​ @zoe-rachel-crisp​ @blogandreea11​ @shileen91​ @geekandbooknerd​ @mzliterarydreamer​ @youbloodymadgenius​ @ainatirb-j​ @carlya65​ @sawendel​ 

- if you want to be added?removed, please let me know

[thebutterflyestate]

I'm back [T. K. x Reader]

I'm back

tanjiro kamado x helper! reader

"Hey listen, I know it's impossible to tell you this, but don't get hurt, ok? Too hurt." You clenched your hands tight together, watching Tanjiro's back as he tied his sandals and adjust the box on his back by the Butterfly Estate's entrance.

He flashed you a grin, a grin that made your heart quickly flutter and your cheeks turn red," I'll try not to, (Name)!"

A helpless smile stretched across your lips as you crossed your arms on your chest, tilting your head to the side. He gave you a wave and you waved back, watching as he left through the open door.

And he was gone again.

You dropped your arms to your sides and slouch, releasing a sigh as you deflated. You began to wonder when will be the next time you will see him even though he just left.

A smack on the lower region of your back caused you to stand straight and feel a stinging sensation climb up your spine, you yelped in pain and turned to see Aoi with a small smirk on her lips. The pig tailed girl giggled at the glare you gave her.

"He just left, (Name) -chan, geez. If you really like seeing Tanjiro-kun, you might as well become a demon slayer too. Who knows!" She shrugged.

"You know I'm not exactly a healty baby, Aoi." You pouted and she smiled.

"Yeah, that's why you're stuck with me." She looped her arm aroun yours then dragged you, "Enough about ypur crush, let's do the laundry! I'm sure he'll be back for you--er, I hope not, that means injuries!"

"C-crush?! He's not my crush!!"

"Sure, sure." Aoi rolled her eyes.

You are a mere helper around the Butterfly Estate like Aoi was, you help around with a lot of things like laundry , medication, cooking, and all that domestic stuff. And since you were one of the seniors among the orphans, you did a ton of work even though it is alreasy halved between you and Aoi.

No one has really caught your eye before nor interested you, even though some of the girls would prod you or tease you to find a lover already, but you were hellbent and just loved to serve the people in the Butterfly Estate.

That is, until, Tanjiro Kamado, came.

Actually, you didn't have a good first impression of him. For God's sake, he had been carrying a demon with him and the reason you were an orphan was because of demons so it would make sense why you'd hate the said creature with much passion. You'd always be wary around him and his sister whom he carried around in the box although he was really nice and understanding.

"I understand why you'd hate us, (Surname) - san." He would say with his kind big eyes that would just make you feel guilty. He kind of looked like a puppy.

He and his friends were in the Estate for a few days after the Mt. Natagumo incident and you helped take care of them for their recovery and even the functional recovery training.

"(Name)-san, you always seem sad... is there a reason why?" He would ask you a couple of times which you refused but it came to the point that he annoyed you and you just answered him whilst you were aggressively making riceballs.

"...I'm sad because I gave up from saving my family so quickly as soon as I saw them getting mauled by demons. Manwhile... you... you were able to do something. You didn't give up. I just-I just feel like I'm someone not worth deserving of living."

He gave you a thoughtful look. His eyes telling you kindnes and warmth," But you're here helping people out, aren't you? You're saving more lives than you can imagine now. What heppened in our past, it is always different for everyone. I think I'm just lucky but so are you, I'm lucky that you patched me back up!"

Petty. But you started to see him in a new light. He was adorable and you began feeling things for him and opened up. Even Aoi was shocked to see you approaching the Kamado siblings all on your own outside of medical work.

°°°

after red light district

"Oh, my god, oh, my god." You fanned your face, tears threatening to fall down your face. Just a few weeks ago, Tanjiro and the boys saved you and the girls from Tengen, the Wind Pillar, from bringing two of you to the Red Light District. But in excahnge for that, they returned with life-threatening injuries.

The girls scrambled about, getting things ready while you were standing next to the Insect Pillar, Shinobu, eaiting for orders with Aoi. Aoi was ordered to take care of Zenitsu and she immediately sped off to the treating room with two Kakushis carrying the said boy.

While you're in the midst of your mini-panic and frantic moving, a hand was placed over your head and you looked up to see Tanjiro, weakly smiling at you from the Kakushi who was carrying him.

"I'm back." He said with a soft voice then he just fainted again. Tears streamed down your face, Shinobu calmed tou down.

"I'm entrusting Tanjiro-kun to you," She said as she gestured for the Kakushi carrying Inosuke to her treating room. You bowed and spoke out orders for the Kakushi carrying Tanjiro and he obliged. Another Kakushi followed with the Nezuko box.

Needless to say, you worked on Tanjiro's beat up body for three hours, making sure to delicately clap back his dislocates bones and stitch up the large lacerations and gashes before wrapping him in a lot of bandages. Almost mummifing him.

After you quadruple checked if he was completely patched, you also checked on his sister who was fine and was just in a deep sleep in her box. Shinobu later on came in your treateing room and helped you transfer Tanjiro to a solo recovery room, attaching needles and an IV so his body would still receive the nutrition he needs.

You gave a worried look over the boy after tucking him in, Shinobu glanced over her shoulder and smiled, turning to you, "You must be really fond of him, are you?"

"... I am." You admitted, tgere was no use hiding it from your master.

"He's lucky that his angel patched him up verynicely ans carefully." She giggled and a blush bloomed on to your cheeks.

°°°

two months later

You were sulking your way back to the Estate with groceries on your arms. You have been grumpy and lifeless, as of late. Aoi and the girls had been calling you a virus since your sulkiness seems to affect them as well whenever you're close by. That's probably why Shinobu sent you to fetch groceries instead of Kanao or Aoi, you must have had an effect on your master, too. They all figured that the cause of your distress was Tanjiro. He had been asleep for am

A step through the path and you were escorted back to the Estate by a Kakushi. You thanked them before they left and went through the front gates.

"Oh, those look heavy, I'll help out!"

Your jaw nearly met the ground, your eyes as wide as teacup saucers when you saw Tanjiro standing by the garden, doing warm-ups and stretching. He beamed upin seeing you, he went up to you and grabbed some bags from your hands while you were still dumbfounded.

"I just woke up a few hours ago while you were gone! I'm glad to see you doing well, (Name) - san!" He chirped alriugh he was getting worried as to why you won't speak and the look on your face said that you look like you have seen a ghost.

"I-I-I-wha-" You stammered, finding no words to say as tears of joy began to form on your waterline. You dropped the groceries left in your hands and then pulled him into a gentle hug.

He chuckled and hugged back, rubbing your back to comfort you then you pulled away, pecking his lips quickly with tears in your eyes. He looked atvyou in shock, cheeks turning red.

"I-I'm back??" He stammered.

"You idiot! You had me worried! And you already said that!" You sniffled and hugged him again. He grinned and hugged you tight.

"I'm sorry, (Name) but I'll always come back to you, you know that, right?"

"That better not be a sign that you're coming back bloody beaten." You pulled away glaring.

"N-no, that's not it!"