#not serious about shipping. but if i see two old people and decide someone could write something fun with them i slap them together

[molagboop]

I just think it would be fun to make Raven Beak smooch Samus' other dads.

[ystrike1]

Ouji-sama ni wa Doku ga Aru - By Jun Yuzuki (7.5/10)

It's great when an author takes a silly premise to the next level. Comedy is hard to balance, but there's a good mix here. Excellent best friend side characters. A genuinely motherly female lead that is the quintessential "mom friend". Makeovers. Cross dressing. A kind of decent portrayal of bisexuality? Wow. This could have been a gem, but there are a few glaring flaws.

Souta is a beautiful boy. People try to confess to him every day. He's a deadly kind of beauty that defies gender...and he's spoiled. His best friend, Rizu, spoils him too much. So, he acts overly cute even though he's almost 16.

There is ALOT of cross dressing in this manga. It's kind of presented in a fetishistic way. Kinda? But the other students are very supportive of his hobby. Rizu also thinks he looks amazing as a girl. His genderless charm is a running gag. Souta makes lots of men fall for him...to keep them away from Rizu. When Rizu decides to get a boyfriend he puts on a wig, and seduces the guy. It's kinda heartbreaking because the guy Rizu chose is really nice. He honestly breaks up with her and says he's fallen for someone else.

Then Souta takes off the wig. He sneers and leaves two broken hearts in his wake.

Souta is mega toxic, but he and Rizu are a good couple. Eventually. I swear. Souta uses a girl to make Rizu jealous. It works. The cute girl is actually Rizu's stalker. That stalker is a genuine lesbian with feelings for Rizu. She's also kind of one of the worst characters in the series. Every scene with her in it is worse because of her specifically. I don't like her. Firstly she's a negative representation of a lesbian. I've seen way too many "predatory and clingy" lesbian characters. I know exactly why it's a thing and I don't like it. Miyu isn't a real romantic prospect. She's a joke. Miyu goes on a fake date with Souta to get information about Rizu...because she's that blindly obsessed.

Romance with a fully grown adult is fine though. Rizu's new teacher is a hottie...who eventually confesses to her. Yup. Call the police. He's not a serious romantic contender either. He's just an obstacle for Souta to punch, but...ugh...this character is also attracted to Souta. He likes pretty people. He starts to like Rizu because she's so kind. He also gets way too much screen time. He romantically puts his job on the line to confess...to a 15 year old girl.

Excuse me I need to go throw up.

Anyway the teacher character thankfully becomes more and more of a joke. He fights with Souta alot...and Souta's fans start shipping him with the hot teacher.

Extra gross.

The gross fujoshi girls that ship real people start harassing Rizu. They treat Souta like an idol that isn't allowed to date just because he cross dresses and is handsome etc. It's sick. I was happy when they were confronted for their shitty behavior, but then it's also a joke. The girls blush and faint when he yells at them...because his anger is hot.

The second half of the story is much, much better than the first. It would be a 9/10 if I was magically allowed to cut out ten chapters. By the midway point Souta is frustrated. He loves being pampered, but he wants Rizu to see him as a man. He is also tired of lying. He barely knows what his real personality is under his mask. He thinks she will be afraid of him if he reveals his true self, and he's actually right. Souta is a horny, possessive, unreasonable and selfish teenage boy that acts cute on purpose. He does it specifically so he can cling to Rizu and watch her all the time. He gets away with shit that guy friends usually aren't allowed to do. His friendship with Rizu is very unhealthy. They don't have healthy boundaries, but that's what he wants. He has trapped himself under his own cute persona.

When Rizu was young Souta was her closest friend....right? She has been with Souta for a long time, but there was another boy. A cute boy. A different boy. Souta doesn't look very cute in his old photos. Rizu realizes, with horror, that her cute friend form primary school isn't Souta.

Why the hell is Souta pretending to be that boy?

He's just a complete yandere that's why.

Tatsumi is Rizu's second cousin. He comes from a wealthy family, that neglected him. Rizu's mother took care of him for a while. Rizu took care of him too. That's where she got her motherly personality. Then, Tatsumi had to return to his parents. He learned to draw Rizu, and then his callous parents respected his talent. They aren't loving, but they were willing to send him to art school.

Rizu doesn't know any of that. Souta literally manipulated her into forgetting her first love. How? Well, poor little Rizu was traumatized after her closest friend left forever. Tatsumi wasn't allowed to contact her, because his parents are strict assholes. So, Souta started acting cute. He took on the role of Tatsumi, and Rizu eventually forgot about him.

That's....pure evil wow. Souta says he originally did it to make her smile come back. Losing Tatsumi made her depressed and stuff, but then he didn't stop. He also hid Tatsumi's love letters. He's a real bastard.

Tatsumi returns looking handsome. Souta does everything he can to scare the other boy away, but Tatsumi cares about Rizu. He's kind of a womanizer now, but she was his first love. He's willing to date her and treat her right. He doesn't trust Souta.

So, Souta contacts Tatsumi's family. He lies and says Tatsumi came to Japan to slack off, and then Tatsumi is shipped back overseas.

Wait. Rizu appears at the last second. She didn’t know that Tatsumi's family was emotionally abusive. She begs him to stay, because she wants to see him happy again. Their friendship grows. Rizu realizes that she still loves Souta. She's dating him at this point. Tatsumi accepts that they will be friends maturely near the end.

Near the end Souta starts acting like his true self. He gets in trouble, and his rich father tries to ship him to boarding school.

Irony.

Karma.

Take your pick.

The couple elopes. Souta is pretty evil, but he's also a good boyfriend. When he's together with Rizu they shine. They're an ultra compatible happy couple when Souta's possessive nonsense doesn’t ruin the day. Souta's father realizes that his son is at least serious about getting married. He backs off a little, and then the end comes. It's summer. Rizu and Souta go to the beach with all of their friends. The creepy teacher gets booted offscreen. It's a happy ending.

(Just so you know Rizu has a pretty clear fetish for crossdressing. It's like...a big thing throughout the entire series. Souta wears a full makeup and a wig at the beach, because it's Rizu's birthday and he knows she likes it. The teacher, and several minor characters, are bisexual. Including the nice guy that dumped Rizu. The author kind of misses the mark, but there is some positive representation here.)

[toutallyahoe]

Death Doesn't Hesitate ~ Markus & Simon (Detroit: Become Human)

requested by: –

pairing(s): markus x male reader, simon x male reader

warnings: character death

a/n: im alive also teehee angst go brrr

on a serious note, terribly sorry for disappearing on tumblr for a while, people who follow me in wattpad or quotev probably tell im mostly on there for a while but things arent really well atm haha

but anyways, i literally forgot to post some of my other fics here months ago so... sorry about that

Markus' footsteps echoed into the large broken-down building near the pier of where the large ship called Jericho was. The android scanned the run-downed area to finally see the person he was looking for, [Name]. Markus was worried for the other android, everyone who knew [Name] and him was.

Sighing, Markus slowly approached [Name] who was sitting on the ledge of the open area of the run-downed building. The walls of the rundown room were destroyed in time and unfinished demolition. It still provides a beautiful view of the ocean.

Markus looked at [Name] whose back was facing the opposite of him and was looking at the ocean. Markus wondered if [Name] was watching the beautiful view this place gives or was just lost in his thoughts.

"[Name]?" Markus had softly called out to the other as he had sat beside [Name] when he was close. He tried to make himself comfortable as he gave a small space in between him and [Name]'s since Markus didn't know if [Name] was willing to have someone close to him.

"Hey," Markus greeted the unresponsive android beside him as he turns to look at [Name]. Markus frowned when [Name] didn't give much of a glance at him as he merely stared at the large view of the sea and the old abandoned ship that he and other deviants called home, Jericho.

In other times, Markus would have thought [Name] was enjoying himself like he usually does, this was the spot where he would often go to enjoy their freedom. But Markus know this wasn't the case, not anymore. Markus know [Name] was lost in his thoughts as he looked at the scenery blankly, almost lifeless with no shine in his eyes and the deviant leader was worried.

Markus let out a sigh as he decided to grab one of [Name]'s hands. A bit hesitant but Markus wanted to give some sort of comfort for [Name] and maybe have the other react, hoping for something at all. The deviant leader was surprised when he felt the other intertwined their fingers together as [Name] softly squeezed his hand. Markus furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at [Name] again, worry evident in his blue and green colored eyes as he gazes at [Name].

[Name], in Markus' eyes, looked so lost. Markus fully knows what the other had been thinking for a while now and the deviant leader could not blame him. [Name] had just lost someone he grew to care for and love. They all did. But [Name] seemed to have taken it the worst from the rest— and it made Markus feel the guilt of a broken promise.

"Please keep them safe, Markus."

Markus wanted to say something but kept quiet and looked at the scene in front of him like [Name] does. He doesn't know what to say at all, so he kept his mouth shut. Not wanting to ruin the other's peace as Markus couldn't help but feel sadness wash over him.

This was odd. For years, Markus barely felt anything at all. He was an android— they were an android. A machine built with no life in them— well, that's what everyone thought. But here they were, so humanlike. So alive.

Markus sometimes wondered if this was even worth waking up from his programming because everything was so confusing... emotions were so confusing. Life was so confusing and hard. Too hard. Everything was so hard and Markus could only wish things were easier for him. For them.

The waves rolled by as the cold ocean air passed by in a breeze at the two, it was silent and Markus let it be. [Name] was grieving and all he could do was sit by his side. This was... this was the only thing he can do and not mess up anymore. He had already done enough. Markus just wished he could do more for [Name] but right now, it was better for him to just stay and hope his presence didn't bother [Name].

[Name] blankly stared at the ocean in front of him. His mind screamed for him to say something to the other beside him, to at least let Markus know he was alright. But he can't. And he wasn't fine, he wasn't at all. Not since he didn't return.

[Name]'s mind was flooded with memories of him. The first android who welcomed him in Jericho, and the first one to bring down the walls he built after he awakened from his programming. The one who had made him learn to trust in others once again and feel something other than hatred for what the world had done to him.

Simon.

The blond deviant welcomed him and didn't stop pestering him until he talked. The deviant who he grew to love and adore as the blond did to him as well. They loved each other so much. [Name] loved Simon.

But Simon was gone.

[Name] knew that.

The news of Simon's abrupt end when the blond, Josh, North, and Markus infiltrated Stratford Tower to send a message about their cause. It was a success—

'But at what cause?' [Name] would often think to himself as he remembered Markus telling Simon's end. It was like it was just yesterday he saw Simon smile at him. Softly promising he will come back to him...

It hurt [Name] a lot.

It hurt [Name] so damn much.

Death. A scary thing it was. Being born into this world to slowly die every second— every day.

Some were lucky to reach their elderly stage, but some were not. Others die in the womb of their mothers, die at childbirth, in their early ages of teen to adulthood. Some from natural causes while some in accidents or driven to end it all by their own accord. But everyone always dies.

Death was hauntingly beautiful. People would forget that they could die at any given moment in any second of the day. How fragile and weak they truly are.

Maybe this is why it caused the heartbreak to even be more painful than ever. Maybe the idea that they weren't truly humans, to begin with, created a false illusion in his mind. That made him think of death as a meaningless thing. A small joke that he believed wouldn't reach him and forcefully drag him away from the others.

Yeah, maybe that's why it hurt like hell when death came and took someone he had loved. Death doesn't hesitate between the sinners and the saints. It will always take...

Sometimes [Name] blames Markus for Simon's death. [Name] knows it wasn't Markus' fault at all, but sometimes... sometimes he just has this thought of "what if" Markus hadn't found Jericho. Simon would still be alive and here beside him, right? Simon would be welcoming new deviants with open arms and just have the blond there, alive with the others. With him.

But Simon was gone. He wasn't there anymore. Simon was dead and [Name] hated it— but he couldn't stay mad at Markus. He can't even if he wanted to but that still doesn't stop the empty feeling inside his chest. [Name] knew Markus was doing his best for the others. For them. But remembering Simon wasn't there made [Name]'s Thirium Pump, his own heart, ache so badly. He felt so empty. Like he was back to being caged by his programming once more and he hated it so much.

Simon was their friend. Markus' friend. His friend— his partner! But why? Why did they let Simon die?

'Just why...? Why Simon? Why, why, why?!?' Those thoughts swirled into [Name]'s mind, dragging him down in the depths of sadness and anger once again. It was like when he first awakened. So angry at the world because he did everything to his owners— those people that bought him to be used and abused for their own sick enjoyment. Why was he always hurting? Why him?

[Name]'s hands curled into a fist. The hand that held Markus' own hands tightened its grip, making the heterochromatic android notice [Name]'s suddenly tensing and growing more emotional.

"Why?" [Name] quietly asked, his voice cracking as he held back the tears falling in his eyes. It hurts. Everything hurts. Why was it hurting? Why was he hurting so damn much? "J... just why...?"

Was this the price of being alive? If so, please take it away from him. Please.

[Name]'s sudden question made the android beside him looked at him in worry and confusion. Why what? What does [Name] mean? Markus was puzzled and was about to ask what does he mean when [Name] continued.

"Why... why did you leave him? Left him... him to die?" [Name] asked as he turns to look at Markus, making the other android see the tears he tried to keep slowly falling. "W... why Markus?" [Name] softly asked as he gazes at Markus' blue and green eyes, the android immediately noticed the pain and sadness in his [Eye color] ones as Markus felt his throat go dry.

They were androids. They weren't supposed to feel anything and obey orders with no questions. But here they were, one was crying and breaking apart while the other felt his world crash down as guilt ate him up.

"We didn't mean to..." Markus wanted to say to the broken android beside him— but he couldn't. He couldn't say those words because Markus knew he could have at least helped the blond deviant when Simon was injured. They could've helped him. He could have helped Simon in Stratford Tower but he didn't and now he had broken his promise to the android beside him.

"I... I'm sorry..." Markus quietly muttered as he raised his hand towards [Name]'s face and wiped the tears with his thumb. His hands were shaking and his thoughts weren't nice at all as his mind was screaming at him for hurting someone he loved. He hurt [Name].

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry [Name]... I... I would do anything... anything to save him..." Markus cried as he felt his own tears fall as well. Simon was a friend. A true friend to Markus. Someone who supported him. Markus cared for the blond deviant as he cared for the very android in front. But he should've cared more because why did he leave Simon alone? Why did they leave him?

Markus loved [Name]. He loved the [Hair color] haired android so much that it hurts him to see this once happy man cry from the mess he had made. He knew Simon meant more than just a friend to [Name], that's why before they left to infiltrate Stratford Tower that day, he promised to bring everyone back to [Name]. To bring North, Josh, and Simon back safely.

But in the end, he didn't keep his promise at all...

"I-i... I'm so, so sorry [Name]..." Markus softly cried as he wiped [Name]'s tears away. He was sorry. Markus couldn't stop thinking that he could have done something to help Simon. They sent their message but at the cause of Simon's life.

As Markus cried, [Name] could only lean closer to one of Markus' hands and closed his eyes. [Name] had softly grabbed the heterochromatic android's hands a while ago and began to squeeze them gently, trying to comfort Markus as broken sobs left his lips.

[Name] took a deep breath as he had opened his eyes. [Eye color] ones clashed with blue and green eyes of Markus as a few tears still escaped and fell. [Name] softly squeezed Markus' hand again as he then goes and hugged the android. God, [Name] knew Markus was strong and he sometimes thought Markus didn't care at all about Simon's death but he was wrong. Of course, he was. Markus cared for them and was just as hurt as him.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry [Name]..." Markus muttered as he cried. He was ashamed and saddened as he buried his head on the other shoulder. Hearing Markus broken cries only made the [Hair color] haired android wrap his arms around Markus and tighten his hold on the other android.

"I know... I... I know, Markus..." [Name] croaked out as he cried. Markus silently cried with him as the android gripped the fabric of his clothes. It hurt them both to lose Simon. A friend and something more to the [Hair color] haired android. They lost someone who deserved more than this.

The two stayed in each other's holds for a while, it was both Markus and [Name]'s ground to reality. The front that Markus had put up to give the other androids in Jericho fully crumbled and [Name] finally got rid of those thoughts of blaming Markus away.

After another while, the two finally separated and decided to continue sitting there at the ledge of the old building, silently watching the waves crash by in front of them. The silence wasn't tense or awkward, it was just perfect. No words were spoken as they relished at the weight of guilt and sadness seemed to lessen. It was still there but Markus and [Name] found comfort in each other's presence.

[Name] mindlessly stare at the ocean, watching the waves rolls by as Jericho was rocking a bit from the moving waters. As he continues to stare, his thoughts went back to the blond android and his death.

Did it hurt? Was Simon hurt? Did he suffer more before he had died? The thoughts of how Simon felt when he died caused his Thirium Pump to ache a bit more. [Name] wished Simon didn't have to suffer than he already did. He wished that the blond died peacefully.

"Will it hurt?" [Name] softly asked out of the blue. This caused Markus to immediately turn his head towards him with confusion written on his face.

"Wha—" Markus started but was cut off by the [Hair color] haired android.

"Will it hurt? Dying I mean..." [Name] had repeatedly said again but more clearly as he turned to look at the heterochromatic android with a melancholic smile on his lips. His [Eye color] eyes stared at Markus' blue and green ones with sadness and regret. [Name] didn't want to ruin the comforting atmosphere they had but he wanted to know if Simon didn't feel more pain before his death. He needed to know. Markus doesn't know what to say towards the other.

"W... why would you ask?" The deviant leader hesitantly asked as he saw the [Hair color] haired android let out a sigh and looked back at the view in front of them.

"I just want to... to know how Simon would have felt... more pain..." [Name] wanted to say but he held his tongue back as thinking of how Simon would have painfully died made him more hurt. Instead, [Name] shakes his head as he hesitantly asked Markus' thoughts.

"I... don't want to sound insensitive but... you did feel death right?" [Name] asked, remembering the deviant leader told him about his past a while back when they shared stories of how they came to be. "When you got shot... did... did it hurt...?" He cleared as he looked at Markus. Markus only nodded his head as he turns and looked at the scene in front of him.

"Yes... I did..." Markus had softly said as he unconsciously curled his hands into a fist. The horrid memory of that night where he was stripped away from the only person he called a family. When he was still wasn't himself. Where he wasn't awakened yet. He felt the bullet immediately hitting him. How it came so fast that he didn't even register that he was shot. How he almost died.

Markus' was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt someone grab his hand. Looking at it, the deviant leader was surprised to find [Name]'s hand intertwined with his. Markus looked up to see the [Hair color] haired android's face softly looking at him with a small solemn smile on his lips.

"Hey, it's okay... I... you're here now..." [Name] softly said as he squeezed Markus' hand. Regret was in his eyes from bringing such a horrible memory up. Markus knows [Name] felt bad and he couldn't help but smile at [Name] as he then looked back at the view of the sea and Jericho with a calm look on his face.

"No... it'll feel like sleeping..." Markus had answered as he remembered how everything felt so calm that moment when he was shot. It was horrible to realized he almost died but Markus want to make sure [Name] know Simon didn't have to suffer in his death. And Markus promised he would try his best to not let [Name] get hurt anymore.

"It was peaceful," Markus softly said and he slowly put his head on [Name]'s shoulder. Closing his eyes as [Name] held his hand a bit tighter. The two relished in each other's comfort as the color of both the skins of their hands slowly faded and the two let it be.

[january-summers]

Whoopsie, More Wash centric AUs, now with OCs for extra flavour.

What if he wasn’t court-martialed until the very end of the war so he never joined PFl, and instead of David, Agent Washington was some douche named George who either legit died on the cliff with Meta, or never recovered from Epsilon.

And, David kills some people in self defence, like has to shoot his direct superior in the head very publicly to stop them from ordering his entire platoon to their very avoidable deaths, or during his slap-on-the-wrist free-with-court-martial two months prison time he kills some guys in the showers because they were trying to kill/harm him, so he ends up with *serious* prison time.

Like ends up on the Tartarus, serious. And naturally he makes friends with the other inmates near his cell, including someone who probably shouldn’t be there because she’s technically still a teenager and her crimes were more white collar than murder even if they were very very serious. (Hacked ONI for the lulz, they’re trying to scare her into compliance/working for them.)

Think Emily Grey but with a more limited area of hyper-focused intelligence and higher anxiety/obvious autism.

Meanwhile with the Reds and Blues, Alpha Church managed to basically eat Sigma, O’Malley and Gary, because he didn’t have anyone to Emp them out in a last stand and Meta got their hands on him so it was eat or be eaten.

And he reconnects with Epsilon who basically treats it like a backstory update and goes on being Epsilon Church (Caboose is stoked, double best friend!)

(All Churches get their therapy moment and Tex gets to decide on her own personhood, going off to self examine for a bit and meeting up with Carolina, they get to talk out their issues and decide to kill Director. Tex gets to have her “I exist now, no matter how I was made I have experiences of my own and I am my own person, not your dead wife.” moment, and Carolina gets her, “you died when mum did, and I can’t, I won’t keep chasing your ghost.” moment.)

And the Reds and Blues get to keep the rest of the AIs by virtue of not mentioning they have them to others. They all still end up on Chorus.

In the Tartarus, David figures out what Felix is planning, and even though he has no interest in working for or with him, he still grabs the bars and warns his nearby inmates what’s probably about to happen. (It’s way too easy for David to think “if I was a sack of shit what would I do?”)

By cosmic coincidence, David ends up with the old Freelancer armour belonging to KIA Agent (George) Washington. (Price recognises David and mentions later that he’d actually been on the list for the project.)

David gets to be in charge of his own little strike team, not that anyone on it is particularly interested in working for team Felix.

“Do you think the locals will let us swap sides?” Asks one of David’s men.

But David shakes his head, “not after Felix and Locus pulled their multiyear double agent crap.”

“… is it Locus or Locust?”

“What?”

“The big scary one, is it Locus or Locust?”

“Locus?” Now David is questioning what he’s been hearing, because it could easily be eith- “Wait, where’s the kid?!”

The team is one short, the hacker teen who shouldn’t have been there is missing. She should be back up on the ship, but David didn’t like the idea of leaving her unsupervised. For her safety sure, but also the safety of others.

“Spread out, find her. Don’t engage with anyone unless you have to, finding the kid is priority.”

David finds her with a soldier in… Teal? Aqua? Cyan? Blue, it’s a shade of blue.

The kid is trying to poke at a small hologram next to the soldier and David makes it just in time to stop the kid from taking a knife to the anything.

“Hey now, let’s all just calm down and everyone respect everyone else’s personal space, okay? No putting fingers or knives in others, okay?”

“Well that’s definitely not Washington in there,” the soldier says, “that guy was a grade A asshole who would love to see knives in people.”

“You can call me D.C. Sorry about the kid, she gets excited about techy stuff. So, from what Counsellor Price said, you must be Agent Carolina?”

“That’s right,” Carolina confirms like she’d like nothing more than to stick her knife in David.

“… has he always been that much of a creepy asshole?” David asks, then notices the kid’s reflection in Carolina’s visor, fidgeting with her helmet. The kid stims by chewing on things, normally her braids, David knows. “Kid, I need you to keep your helmet on for me, okay? It keeps your head nice and safe.”

*someone gets headshot in the background*

“…er, safer.” David corrects.

-

And through the power of being him, David and his team get to join team good guy. the folks on Chorus.

And all is well with the world. Until the kid and dr Grey meet and everyone has to deal with the “oh god there’s two of them” perfectly reasonable fear response.

-

Sorry for any typos in this mess of a plot bunny, I wrote it on my phone in bits and pieces during a bbq, which lead to another, competing bunny asking the tough and distracting questions: who is the best griller out if all the Reds and Blues and Freelancers, who shouldn’t be allowed near a grill, and who is a great bbq master but is someone everyone thinks shouldn’t be allowed near a grill? (And vice-versa)

This whole bunny thread was just a way to lead to the “keeps your head safe *bang* -er. safer” joke. Was not expecting the Tex and Carolina detour, but stuff it, ladies road-trip of murder and justice!

[noforkingclue]

Just One Year Chapter 20 (Bones x reader)

Just One Year tag list: @brilliantbutbatty, @440mxs-wife, @pile-of-bones-and-stars, @alindeluce, @stephdavies95, @bubblegum-star-trek, @waleyfish

Star Trek tag list: @strange-old-worlds, @stardustnerd

Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary, @byebyebreezywrites, @spngingerbread21, @layazul, @lov3vivian, @simonsblue

“Are you ok?”

“Hmm?”

You looked up and saw Christine standing by your table. She gave you a pained look and sat down opposite you. She nodded towards your right hand which was missing the engagement ring.

“I think so.” You said

“Think?”

“It’s only just hit me,” you said, “taking it off this morning. Realistically I know it was the right thing to do. We were arguing too much and we wanted different things but now…” you trailed off and sighed, “It feels like I’ve wasted so many years of my life on a relationship that didn’t go anyway.”

“But if you weren’t happy then it’s the best thing to do.”

“I know but still…”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you were thinking that this was only going to be temporary and that you’ve been offered a permanent job.”

“How do you know that?”

“Small ship.”

“Not really.”

“You’d be surprised how quickly gossip spreads.”

“Is this gossip?”

“New then,” said Christine rolling her eyes, “but I do think you should stay.”

“Do you.”

“Course. It’s been good to have you back.”

“Well-“

You were distracted by Bones and Jim entering the cafeteria. Jim waved at you and Bones glanced over but looked away quickly. You could feel you face get hot as you looked back down at your mug of tea. Christine frowned slightly and thought,

‘Maybe there’s another reason why you want to stay.’

*

“I’m-“

Bones took one look at your face and leant against your desk.

“I’m guessing,” he said again, “that you’re sick of people telling you how sorry they are.”

“That obvious?”

“Let’s just say I’m speaking from experience.”

The corner of your lips twitched and Bones got off your desk. He left your office but return a moment later with a bottle of whiskey. He poured you a large glass and handed it over.

“Think you need this.”

“You a mind reader?”

“Sometimes it seems like it.”

“Cheers.”

The two of clinked glasses and you sipped your drink. You closed your eyes and basked in the comfortable silence. When was the last time you were truly comfortable with someone?

“What are you going to do now?”

You opened your eyes and glanced at Bones. He ran a thumb over the rim of his glass as his gaze locked with yours.

“You’re not the first person to ask me that.”

“Have you decided?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think you should stay.”

“Again, not the first person to tell me that.”

“Who-“

“Christine.”

“Ah.”

“But I still don’t know…”

“You have assisted me a lot. Your help has been appreciated.”

“Are you telling me that I’ve become invaluable?”

“I wouldn’t go that far but you would be missed.”

“By who?”

“Well, all your friends.”

“Just my friends?”

“Anyone else you had in mind?”

“You.”

“Me? Are you saying we’re not friends?”

“No. It’s just… You see…”

You felt your cheeks get hot and looked away. You took a large sip of your drink in the hope of distracting yourself. It didn’t work.

“There are other things I’d have to consider,” you said, “if I’m going to stay.”

“If,” Bones raised his eyebrows, “sounds like you’re more than just considering it.”

“Like I said, I have some serious thinking to do.”

“What about?”

You put your glass back on your desk and drummed your fingers. Bones reached over and grabbed your hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze and said,

“You do want to stay, don’t you?”

“I think so.”

“Then what’s stopping you?”

[rosewood-writes-and-reviews]

Just because I simply wanted to do it and not because someone asked, I decided that I wanted to list everything I like and dislike about my favorite characters. Link to original post (OP deactivated their account, so I’m using the link of one of the reblogs):

I’m gonna start with V since me scrolling through the “dmc v” tag is how I came across this.

Favorite Thing I Like About Them: His design. I am a sucker for gothic/emo designs, not to mention the awesome tattoos, so seeing V’s design drew me in. And so it began my thirst for this goth man whore.

Least Favorite Thing About Them: I barely have anything bad to say about V, but the closest I can think of is the fact that he got such a nice alternate costume in a GACHA GAME. I hate Gacha games because they are the most obvious boring and bland money grabbers and the fact that the only time he officially got an alternate costume is in Devil May Cry, Peak of Combat.

Favorite Line: “Don’t worry… I’ll be gentle.” For… reasons 🤭. Okay but for real, that aside, I like his, “I have no name, I am but two days old,” line.

BrOTP: V and Nero, because technically, Nero would be interacting with his father in his 43 day old goth phase.

OTP: None. I’m indifferent to him (while I’m at it Vergil) being shipped with Lady.

NOTP: V paired up with Dante or Nero. I will move on before I make an unfunny Sweet Home Alabama joke.

Random Headcanon: He’s a messy eater with specific foods. Despite how gentlemanly and somewhat polite he is, things get messy if you give him a burger. Even if he starts to get it after like the 5th time.

Unpopular Opinion: I’m not sure if this is an “unpopular opinion,” since a lot of other people agree with this too, but nonetheless, I have no problems with V being his own character. It’s mainly because when I personally look at V and Vergil, I see two different people.

V is basically who Vergil could have been had that incident at their home not have happened or if he and Dante switched places. Vergil chooses not to open up emotionally or make himself vulnerable because he is an emotionally constipated power seeking blue demon, but V chose to be vulnerable in front of Trish and then Nero.

Even with that twist at the climax of DMC5, I will always view the two as separate characters.

Song I associate with them: Joke answer: Emo Boy by Ayesha Erotica.

Serious answer: Tourniquet by Evanescence (I thought long and hard about this one and could not come up with anything else).

Favorite picture of them: Fanart wise? @orosuz who drew very cute artwork of Shadow licking V’s cheek affectionately.

Officially? That one Visions of V panel I reblogged under my “goth poet (my dmc v tag)” where he’s eating cooked demon meat and saying, “this tastes vile” while he’s STILL eating it.

[manofmanymons]

thanks so much for responding to my ask about Ryo x Minoru!! the stuff you wrote was so cute, especially the “this could be us”picture (I 100% could see Minoru sending that) also the idea you had of them kissing because they thought they were gonna die…your mind omg. I could also see them doing one of those “thank god we’re alive” kisses where they thought they were gonna die but when they live they’re so happy and that the other person is happy that they just. smooch lol

also I did see that other post you made about them and I loved it! but it’s funny that you see everyone being shocked when they say they’re together because I hc that they’d both be super obvious even when they try to hide that they like each other (esp Minoru, the word subtle isn’t in that boy’s dictionary). if either of them confided in Kaito for whatever reason, I can 100% picture him saying in the most deadpan voice, “congrats, you’re officially the last one to know.” I think it would specifically be obvious because they’d talk about each other all the time, even if it was about things that “annoyed” them and then trying too hard to play it cool by immediately following up with “not that I care about him or anything!!!1!” or something like that.

I just think they’re neat and I’m honestly surprised that there aren’t more people who ship them. like they spend a good amount of time together, they both have come running when the other one is distressed, and I also noticed that falcomon is the only kemonogami who can understand kunemon, and since the kemonogami represent their partner’s hearts, I feel like it shows that they both understand each other. also if Minoru gets captured by dokugumon in chapter 1, ryo will complain about Minoru being a pain, which makes Minoru mad, but falcomon reassures him that Ryo’s just making such a fuss because he was worried about Minoru (which Ryo denies and gets embarrassed over ofc).

on a less serious note, I feel like they would be kinda like those two old guys from the muppets once they start dating where they bond over roasting other people/each other. I also get reminded of them when I see that one post where it’s like “I had a crush on someone in my class and didn’t know how to deal with it so I just wrote a letter that said ‘get out of my school.’” like they both are soft™️ on the inside but have such a hard time expressing it.

sorry i totally rambled about them but it’s just nice to see someone else who ships this rare pair!! i wish more people enjoyed it/wrote about it! I literally made one of those dumb comic sans powerpoints about them one day because I was bored and because digimon survive hyperfixation™️ and because i freakin love them. so thanks so much, i really appreciate it!! 💕

Y'know what anon, I see the vision. I see the poorly concealed crush disguised as annoyance. Them thinking everyone would be surprised only to be met with "guys we literally all knew." I love that we both decided they would not shut up about each other though XD

AND DUDE YEAH I LOVE THAT SCENE. EVEN IN THE BEGINNING WHEN THEY DIDN'T GET ALONG WELL AT ALL RYO WAS STILL WORRIED ToT

Also 100% in love with the idea of their partners being a reflection of how well they get each other. You're so big brained aaaaaah.

They absolutely would talk shit together lmao. Mean old ladies on a porch swing except they're both teenage boys XD Also why are they actually both the "he's bullying you because he likes you" one in the relationship ToT

I am dying to know about this powerpoint lakdjfakj I also am surprised more people don't ship it tbh like at least for me they are like THE pairing from the game that falls the most into my usual preferred tropes. Annoyances to friends to lovers. Sunshine x grumpy except they're both a little grumpy. "He's an idiot but he's MY idiot." Rowdy boys. "I hate you (affectionate)." They're so good together. They should kith.

ALSO BC YOU SAID "not that I care about him or anything!!!1!" YOU REMINDED ME OF SOMETHING NOT QUITE RELATED BUT FUNNY ENOUGH TO SHARE. ONE TIME WHEN I WAS COHOSTING MY FRIEND'S SURVIVE STREAM, I WAS VOICING RYO, AND SOMEONE CALLED HIM A TSUNDERE, SO--

I should provide further context that she has a point redeem for talking in a high pitched voice so that's why we were talking like that lmao.

AND ONE LAST THING: DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR RAMBLING I AM LITERALLY SO THRILLED TO READ SOMEONE ELSE'S CUTE HC'S ABOUT THEM <3

[mintys-musings]

okay so back on my anzu x idol bs. non thirsty ramble. more like. whod understand her when she opens up about her time in kimisaki and all the shit with the peace party/producer course/etc.

okay so no brainer trickstar gets her. but let's talk about others that might get her on a deeper level:

JUN. OH MY GOD. REIMEI ACADEMY IS LIKE KIMISAKI WHERE SLACKERS ARE PUSHED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HEIRARCHY AND RIDICULED. at least that's how it was when anzu attended (getting through engirls main story still. things are. slightly diff as her brother is attending but also there are parallels with ! era anyway-) if she ended up absentmindedly talking about her past with him while they're having lunch during work or whatever, he'd be like "i'll drink to that." and it'd escalate. bc now he's hearing about how the producer course treats her and he's like "well what the fuck. this is what goes on in yumenosaki??" and he'd end up as part of her protection squad. no one can say shit to her when her guard hyena is around.

SPEAKING OF PARALLELS- SHU. I HAVE SUCH COMPLICATED FEELINGS ABOUT SHU ITSUKI BUT GODDAMN. DO HE AND ANZU PARALLEL EACH OTHER. let me list some things

both were considered odd by their peers and pursued more artistic outlets instead of social interactions (both ended up in fashion)

some gender shit- anzu has always been described as more tomboyish/less of a demure girl than others (hitting people when she's annoyed, more aggressive than passive, etc- in !! we don't see it much but i chalk it up to her trying to be more professional) shu's past with being a boy into fashion/dolls and having people not really support him follows this

suzu and mika respectively. i have certain feelings about the unhealthy aspects of shu and mika's relationship, but it certainly does parallel how suzu looked to anzu (even now.)

the mental toll it took on each of them when they were ridiculed (shu with his execution and anzu with being bullied so much she had to transfer) they both sunk their time into distracting themselves (shu with valkyrie and anzu with producing)

i could go on. shu x anzu isn't necessarily a ship i see, but i think if anzu were to tell shu her story, he'd be quite shocked at their similarities. shu could comfort anzu whenever she feels that built up guilt of leaving suzu, her one companion in such a cruel system. plus they're sewing buddies. beyond that, he'd listen to her complain about whatever is going on in the producer course and he'd subtly hype her up like "Tch. It seems as though they don't value insight from someone like you. I say, you are better off without them."

Rinne. HERE'S ME ABOUT TO EXPLODE. GOD. RINNE AMAGI. RINNEANZ FOREVER BABY. HE UNDERSTANDS THE PLIGHT OF NOT BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY. HE UNDERSTANDS THAT OUTSIDERS LIKE THE TWO OF THEM DESREVE THE SAME LOVE AND RESPECT AS THOSE WHO KISS THE ASS OF WHATEVER SYSTEM THEYRE UNDER.

they both ran away from an old lifestyle and changed themselves drastically. rinne gained all his confidence and decided to be more loud and proud. anzu gained confidence as well, but is still learning to not doubt herself so much. But they have a common goal! uplift and support those who are overshadowed in the industry. Rinne with the bees and anzu with everyone else (including the bees as well) They both get each other though they have different approaches. rinne obviously respects anzu on a deep level and trusts her judgement. he's more discerning than he looks.

anzu probs wouldn't tell him anything. it probs would never come up. but if one day she comes to work after dropping off her brother somewhere, he can tell somethings off. he wouldn't pry, but he'd get it out of her. oh yeah also- younger brother issues. they both gottem. just. consider. consider the two of them confiding in each other. it's an odd sight seeing rinne look so calm talking to someone. he looks very handsome while he is serious though.

finally, madara. he'd honestly understand past her well purely bc he'd find the info. but he wouldn't say a thing. she wouldn't either. madara wants her to vent to him about the present goings on though. he wants to be a figure in her life. he LOVES her. enough to even put her at arms length so she wont get hurt. but sTILL. HE WANTS TO BE PRESENT. HE WANTS HER TO CONFIDE IN HIM. HE'S JUST NOT VERY GOOD IN SITUATIONS WHERE EMOTIONAL VULNERABLITY IS NEEDED.

god. she'd never open up to him about these things, but he'd subtly suggest things to maybe help her ease her mind. if she's wallowing in guilt over not being able to support suzu like she used to, he'd be like "oh im gonna go to a concert later. wanna come with?" and it'd be suzu's band playing. if she's having small disputes with some classmates causing delays in projects, somehow all the things that were missing from her classmate's end of the project are miraculously done. he'd also do things like be more huggy suddenly or give her rides to and from school so he can glare at whoever is giving her trouble. hell, he'd threaten mao to make sure she's treated like a princess in school. madaanz...

bonus: hitsugi and her shake hands in mutual understanding. anzu leaves every agency and becomes NEGI's sole producer. the two shake up the idol industry immeasurably, become a global sensation, and they live happily ever after.

[fumikomiyasaki]

9 years into the Future...

I would be happy if you share this cause it took forever...

Here is a summary of the futures of my ocs, spoiler free. I didn’t manage to draw all of my ocs but here is the most I could design and how they look. Under the cut is some explanations and Headcanons however I say spoiler free cause some will die and I won’t tell who.

Leroy:  

He as an adult accepts his natural look more, he shows his freckles,  doesn't dye his hair blue and red anymore and he wears his glasses cause it's comfier… Jobwise he either has his own bakery, works as mechanic, works in a factory or stays unemployed housekeeper for his partner…. In all he became more honest with himself and doesn't hide his true self anymore. In some futures his mom lives long and in some she dies earlier. Is very caring and a very good father.

Henry: 

Mainly he has two paths to choose… either convince his father of his ideals or go separate ways than him… which might lead to another divorce for Lloyd Lakeside… Henry likely either manages and own company, works as a politician in Interstate hill or manages something smaller mainly given how his values and ways go. His look is more of a fusion of his old goth look with a bit of professionalism which he enjoys a bit more and gives him a less serious but still enough look. Still does a lot of Dad jokes. And he is still a boomer with trends.

Mellow:

I have a good end and a bad end for Mellow. In the bad end he fully transforms into his monster form forever not to be turned back while… in the good end he manages to control his monster form but gets a scar on his face in the process. Older Mellow is more confident, he had a growth spurt and is now taller than Leroy and Henry…. However he didn't change that he is still very kind and helpful. I can see him either grow better as an artist and do art related jobs, maybe even as an art teacher… 

Carol:

I did make a whole list of all of her ship futures but mainly in looks not much changes aside her hair getting more flowy.  She likely becomes a teacher and depending on who she ends up with she would choose the topic of her lessons. In all she in most futures stays in Twst while in some she returns to her family back… 

There is also that she forgets her memories of twst when she returns… but in all if she decides to stay in twst she adapted to life and if she goes through the overblot even has magic of her own. A very caring but protective mother if she has kids. 

Lyla: 

She grew her hair out and often wears lab coats because she works mainly as a scientist now… focusing more on tonics and elements compared to her brother… If she has children she is the super mom, usually babysitting her own and her brother's kids cause she knows her Bro is not the best really…but in all she got over some of her fears and learned to live with them.

Flynn: 

Becoming a full fledged actor, Flynn mainly gets roles about Villains and Vampires, however he did quite his nightly adventures that got him into trouble cause he uses his own wealth he earns now for the good of others… he is still not much different in personality but is more honest with the people he cares for…. And also less worries about the past anymore and who he was before. 

Nanoya: 

He didn't do anything with acting but instead used the reputation from his own tournaments to open up a school to teach others the sword, his own dojo…. He did stay with a Samurai look because he liked it and he has many students who trust him fully… his fear of women is something he overcame and now is just happy when he can give someone advice with the things he has been through..

Rubina: 

Severing connections with her Family Rubina became a police officer who does Detective work on the side. One of her parents' suitors attacked her after she denied her parents which is why she has that scar on her neck but she sees it as a reminder that sometimes you have to hurt to get your freedom. Nowadays Flynn and her still bicker but she accepted that he changed… and she also would give up her family name for her partners in a heartbeat. 

Peko:

Although she was pretty successful, Pekos career didn't last as long but long enough for her to be unemployed mainly. She became more lazy and gained a bit more weight however she is not the best housewife. However it seems her reputation as a former idol often gives her small TV show appearances that get her money… mainly she became an old rich and lazy wife who wants your attention.

Emma: 

The first to give her career up… instead she became a fitness coach and gained a ton of muscles… she still struggled at first given many of her fans were disappointed but now she has a circle that fully trusts her…  and since then she also feels a bit more free from the spotlight… her hair stayed short cause it's more practical. 

Gregory:

After research they found a way to remove Gregorys gem and still keep his power in check, a new sort of way which is why he has a scar where his gem was… however he also got addicted to getting tattoos and would tattoo the name of his partner on his body too. He didn't get any smarter but stayed out of the Evolnation gang the longest touring and maintaining his career… he still keeps Close contact with Emma and Peko but also retired his personal Shade early… 

Tyler:

He became much better at managing his time and his fashion label became a huge success, however he still stayed humble, maybe a bit more nicer than in the past given he finally gets enough sleep… however he still sometimes is plagued by some nightmares… Still Tyler is a figure many people know and trust in his brand blindly… and it's good to see him smile more than in the past.

Rachel:

Fleeing for a while after the secrets of her family got exposed, Rachel created an underworld cult, the scar on her chest was from one of the people who hunted her…. Now she gathers sacrifice to survive eating their souls and alluring others to follow her…. Whoever comes in contact with her is said to vanish among Myths and so she became more of a fable that still yearns for Tylers love but isn't able anymore to reach him. 

Gabrielle: 

Refusing the throne to become a warrior, 9 years weren't much to change Gabrielle… after all her race ages slowly but… at least the short hair made it easier in battles and despite many scars she does keep on and became a wandering mercenary who hides her royal blood… still she visits her sister when she is in the grimstone kingdom. She does still search for a way to lift her curse but also has learned to adapt to it. 

Tesadell:

The Queen of the Grimstone Kingdom, Tesa is a kind ruler who keeps the peaceful alliances as her parents wanted it. Having a success working close with the Rebuilt Flamestone kingdom and so making them a strong force of the world… she still deals with her curse but found artifacts to mend it a little. She does support her sister but still misses her often. 

Aiden: 

Owning his own restaurant, Aiden became a busy man… he took off his chain having settled with the burdens of the past and proved that he could do it on his own… however there are still the people who judge him…. He gained a bit more scars as he protected Peko and Emma some years ago from a stalker however this story can be changed up depending on his ships. In all he gets less sleep because of his restaurant but is well liked and respected. 

Media: 

He started working in a daycare given his own childish nature. Teaches many of the kids a lot about camping and survival techniques when he can… in all he often visits Aidens restaurant to see his friend again and tell about new stories…he does have chaotic hair mainly because he has barely time to keep it well. 

Tenera:

Her legs recovers after some years but similar to Gabrielle and Tesa she didn't age much. She became a pro tennis player however she doesn't take too.many matches give her legs aren't miracle cured… all to follow her passion. In all she is often still lightly a therapist for Aidens bad thoughts in his head.

Sindren: 

Given becoming a hero is not a job Sindren became the next best thing and went to the police, belonging to a unit assigned to Rubina which is why their friendship still stayed close… She accepts her fathers mistakes of the past and does her best to protect the weak herself.. She would inherit her father's company after his death but however assigned the leadership to someone else. 

Mythra:

Rivaling Tyler with her own Label ChicMystique Mythra jobwise would choose her career as fashion designer as model while giving Dance classes on the side… her parents dance school survived and Mythra still manages it herself. In all she still has her Flirty aura but holds back compared to the past… 

Feena: 

As a cyborg Feena became an undercover agent, playing the innocent woman while actually working as a spy… Sindren knows this and often works together with her. She decided to wear more normal clothes to blend in a crowd better.

Dragiselle: 

Queen of the Rebuilt Flamestone kingdom… She improved what her parents wanted to destroy and so became an alliance with the Grimstone kingdom. However her kingdom is a bit more strict about rules and often also doesn't shy away from enforcing things. Still Dragiselle is a Good queen… she lifted the curse symbol on her neck and Can control her powers more fully… 

Inessa:

Knight Captain of the Flamestone kingdom… Inessa is the advisor as well of Dragiselle however she accepted she will never be together with the queen but is just happy serving her… in all she also did win many ice skating trophies until she settled staying in the kingdom. 

Taron: 

Finding the cure for the children of darkness they became quite popular among doctors and tech experts… nowadays they focus more on machines and helping people with technology,  however they did help improve the flamestone kingdom with some things as well. 

Kome: 

Tiam worked hard for a cure for her sickness and she managed to become a full fledged Lawyer trying to prosecute evil. She is seen often working together with Rubina to get new intel….  She still has a sort of weak constitution of her body but she is just happy to live at all. Her new job also got her a little bit more sane..

Tiam: 

With another failed experiment Tiam burned his mouth and now wears a mask 24/7 to hide the wounds… he became a doctor but had a hard time to get people to trust him until he Impressed the patients that did try his treatments… Since then many trust him well with their health… still he often feels a bit down. Him and Kome still are close as siblings, kind of as dynamic. 

Emil:

He decided to carefully let his puppet ark be removed and exchanged for a robot one from Sindrens company so he could not use his um… he also took out his fake Eye to separate himself from everything Ronnie took from him… he is still a bit broke about the past but… he managed to stand on his own and fine his way as a doll maker and goldsmith. 

Vanessa: 

Nowadays called countess Pharon… Vanessa gave up her hockey career and instead took on the duties of her fathers family… She still parties when she can but now more privately in their mansion and whomever her partner or partners are… she will spoil them as much as she can. 

Barry: 

Has gotten less attractive and aside from living off his parents money… he became an old beer drinking worker who neglected himself… and tries to still get a job given his parents soon take the money from him. If he only listened to Paula and Serena. Often angry and shouting at others for no reason. (At least this is the future if he hasn't found a partner)

Francine: 

Instead of staying with design, Francine became a model for Tylers label still trying to Rival Mythra. However, although they are still not friends, they hate each other a little bit less… They still dislike each other but they understand each other.

Usually Francine is busy with work and severed her ties with Barry fully. 

Eikichi: 

Still going on as an inventor, the scar in his face also has different reasons depending on ships with him but the general is it was an invention gone haywire… As father he didn't do the best start given why his sister often babysits his kids but he tries to not do the same mistakes like he did with Lyla. 

Kayne: 

Facing Mason Violet some years ago he got more scars in the process and the man finally got arrested. Since then Kayne has worked as a part time housekeeper/butler and caterer. Mainly hired for parties. He found a bit more inner rest and showed his emotions much more than previously.  He and Leroy since then also became closer friends and he often stops by Aiden and Leroys exchanging recipes. 

Macie: 

She did keep her Idol career longer than Peko and Emma however stopped earlier than Gregory… nowdays Macie actually stopped hating Peko and they became even lightly friends. Macie decided to be fully her own and mainly takes jobs as language translator now… teaching others languages a little. 

April and Julian:

The siblings had a contest on who would get a partner first but in the end they forgot about it as they got their partners. April still works in a casino dealing with people but is more accepting of showing her eye in public… while Julian often stars in music videos nowadays  still dancing and sometimes performing in musicals. 

Beelby:

He has his own bar now… often sharing tales from hell and having haven for demons who like him left hell… given he has a very long life he only found a new style. 

Others I haven't drawn here: 

Fennec:

Given his travels likely he age much faster than the others in Twst… he does mature in a way of becoming a legendary adventurer who continues his journeys across the world

Grey:

Not much will change… he is already a dead Zombie and so doesn't age much… he would likely become an author who still hasn't improved that much in his words out of his mouth but he can at least say some little things.

Bolt:

The thing is given his whole electrosurge, the likelihood that he dies is high if they don't fix him a little. If they do he likely become a guitar teacher or a music teacher in school. 

Eve: 

He will continue to live among the humans until they decide to turn him off. But likely Eve has good chances to just continue the research and become one of the almost human robots. Having his own life and family to just enjoy his life… maybe working in an office. 

Osyron and Lydia:

Not much changes aside that they will search a domain on the world to watch over as gods… they probably both also at time clash with each other but aside that they just give out their blessings and watch the mortals from a secluded place.

Fabio:

Given he can't return to his village either he becomes a mercenary, a jewelry maker or a trader…. I feel his knowledge of nature could make him also a good botany teacher but he likely still needs to learn a lot in general before.

Saneria:

Likely follows Lydia and becomes the second hand in her domain… or starts her own cult…

Kuze Yasuno and Serena 

Pretty uncertain about them so I leave them open but to summarize… Kuze likely joins the military,  Yasuno continues his job as shinigami and Serena uses the company of her parents to help the people and not let them suffer.

Damon:

Similar to Eve he is either shut down or continues his research in being human. However I feel he would also with Kuze join Military as a weapon. 

Quora:

Baseball star who now owns the orphanage she came from… uses all the money she wins through sports to give the children a good life and accepts not to see her parents again.

Ronnie: 

Still evil but now works in a circus trying to fool people into believing him and doing things in the underground. 

Eleafy:

Is free from Ronnie's influence and slowly recovered their sanity,  finally being able to be Media's sibling again…

Paula and Zyan:

They still model for different labels when they can… Paula has no longer hair by a little and often does workout videos In a pretty 80s style while Zyan inspired a video game character with his looks and is still high in demand. Both in general still are pretty popular. 

Taylin:

She still gets tons of commissions for sculptures and art, some even winding up in a museum. Not much has changed for her in general.

[crestfallercanyon]

4, 10 and 27 for gallesa — but i had amazing leigtweight!teresa hcs already just reading the list, so 🤩

OH MY GOD YES BELOVED SHIP FROM MY BELOVED TEA LET'S GO (for those who don't know, Galesa is Gally and Teresa and I am HERE for it)

4. Which one is more protective? Who needs to be protected?

These two are my post-apocalyptic babies and I love them. I would say that they actually are pretty even-handed here, I think they're both protective but in different scenarios. I think predominantly they help the other protect them from themselves.

Gally tries not to tread on Teresa much because Teresa does not need him to protect her much at all, but every once in a while someone does something he won't stand for. Either they find out about her history with WICKED and try to hold it over her head, or they won't listen to her, or sometimes they just get too handsy, and that's when Gally gets pissed. That's when he stands up and juts his chin out and he usually doesn't say much at first, usually that's enough, but he has thrown a few people out on their ass or given a verbal berating. He always quips after "I know you didn't need me to do that, but I just got pissed off," and she will respond "I didn't... but thanks."

Teresa is there most often to protect Gally from himself. Gally gets down a lot, or worries about his own effectiveness, or has hallucinations about Chuck and she'll talk him down. She also hates whenever someone tries to insinuate that he's just some dumb pitbull she keeps around to look tough. Gally is smart, handy, and she enjoys his company, and fuck anyone who dares insinuate otherwise. Occasionally it gets bad enough that she'll draw a gun, but she never shoots and never will because her and Gally's little secret is: she's a terrible shot.

10. Describe their first date

Their first date wasn't meant to be a date at all, I think. Or, at least, from their perspective it wasn't (I could totally see Brenda setting something up with the two of them). They're dressed up. They're somewhere that they'd never go without their group, like an art museum (Teresa's more into sciences and Gally's more interested in the architecture of the building than the art itself). Their tickets are timed so they decide that they'll go inside and they can start on the exhibits and when their friends show up they can double back, they don't care. So they go inside.

At first they just kind of nod along and look at paintings, simple "I like this one's," and, "this one's kind of neat." Then they get to some art that looks kind of silly and looks like it was drawn with crayon. And Gally quips, "huh, I think this used to hang in the Sistine Chapel." And Teresa laughs. She riffs off of it. "Michaelangelo learned from him, it says right here," and Gally laughs along with her.

And Gally realizes he kind of likes Teresa's laugh. Her real laugh, not this light and airy thing, but this laugh that's tight and closed around her throat and chittering. And Teresa realizes Gally's got a wicked sense of humor, and they may be able to keep up with each other.

Then it really begins. They go all over the museum. Some exhibits are simple little jokes, but then they get to tapestries that are amazing feats of work ("can you imagine the hours it took to make this? the detail. It's amazing." and "it is fucking impressive. Also the dedication. I know I wouldn't want to weave someone getting decapitated on a loom. And they wove this -- it's better than some pictures." And then they get more serious. There are some art exhibits that require neat science that Teresa knows way more about than what's on the epigraph, and they get to exhibits of old century homes and Gally explains some of the choices in architecture and why they'd use certain tools (some stuff very impressive, some stuff not so much). And it's fun, and informative, and funny. And they get to a painting they both really really enjoy, and they sit there for a long time.

Gally is the first to say that he doesn't think the others are coming. Teresa admits that when they first were alone she was nervous, but she had a really nice night, and thanks. And then, Gally offers to buy dinner, and Teresa accepts, but only if she gets to choose the place. Gally agrees.

They leave and, dressed up in their nice clothes, Teresa brings them to the world's dingiest taco stand and Gally snickers (though it does have some amazing tacos). They end up walking along the riverside and just talking and enjoying each other's company until it gets very late, and Gally walks Teresa to her car. Before she gets inside she says "Next time you should wear your tuxedo, and I'll take you to the Halal food truck on seventh," and Gally laughs and says he's there. Then, after a moment of lingering, they kiss.

Then yeah, they start dating after that.

27. Who is the lightweight that needs to be taken care of at the end of the party?

Teresa. 100 percent. She's just so tiny, and Thomas or Minho always rope her into challenges like "match me" or "power hours" and Teresa really doesn't drink this much unless they're together and they're all terrible influences. She has zero elegance at the end of the night, is clumsy, laughs so loud, has no filter, and is touchy in a fun way but also like an "oh my god girl". At the end of the night she is aware she needs to get home though and she goes to Gally, "You mind taking me home, stud?" and Gally usually rolls his eyes and says "thought you'd never ask." She almost always falls asleep in the car. When they get home, if Teresa doesn't vomit, Gally takes her to the shower with a bottle of water and gatorade and a protein bar. The two sit, usually nearly fully clothed, in the shower. They sit in there for a long time, her head against his collarbone, and listen to podcasts or soft music until they're both no longer sticky.

She has a favorite sweatshirt of his that he throws over her, and she stares at him with big innocent eyes that she doesn't really get any other time, and is just smiling. And Gally gets all heart-eyes for her, he'd do anything for her, she's so fucking cute. She doesn't talk much for the rest of the night, because honestly, she's worried about vomiting. He braids her wet hair and helps her clean off her makeup and kind of coos at her in a way she'd never let him get away with when she wasn't trashed like this. Then she drags him to bed. Gally's kind of a clinger, and Teresa loves this (particularly when she's drunk), and burrows in and melts into him. And in the morning she wears sunglasses in bed and drinks the rest of the gatorade and Gally and her order the greasiest fast food they can find that will deliver and it's pretty great, actually.

And yeah, that's my headcanons for these two. These got way out of hand, but I just, any opportunity to talk about them and I'm taking it. Fucking love them. Thank you SO much for the ask. <3 (ALSO PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OWN LIGHTWEIGHT TERESA HEADCANONS I HAVE TO KNOW)

[tokkionline]

gonna drop my urthan lore here uwu

The Lost Boy;

The waves crashing against the boat is like a melody to his ears as he gazes at the horizon. It stretches before him, endless, filled with possibilities. A smile graces his features and he breathes in the fresh air, mixed with seaweed and salt. This is home. This is where he belongs.

But why does he crave more?

*

name: Urthan

race: half-orc

age: 33 years old

height: 6’2

alignment: chaotic good

pronouns: he/him

class: barbarian, path of wild magic

Personality:

He roars out laughter and smacks your back, a fire burning in his eyes. One that may fuel an anger to last for generations, or that could warm you to the core. You cannot tell, and it gives you a shiver.

Boisterous

Passionate

Sensitive

Impulsive

Proud

Reckless

Irresponsible

Likes:

“Oh, can I have some o’ that? Smells good!”

sailing, fighting, exercise, chicken

Dislikes:

“Guh, no thanks.”

idleness, uncertainty, making decisions, people in position of authority, serious people

Needs to: reconcile his two identities, half-orc and half-elvish, to create a whole

Goals: explore the world and discover new lands

Backstory:

Fiery love between an eladrin woman and a male orc resulted in Urthan’s birth

From his childhood, he knew that he was different from the other kids he was desperately trying to befriend. No one would approach him. Some feared his orc roots, others didn’t quite know how to deal with his elvish side

In the end, as he became an adult, an insatiable wanderlust he had felt since childhood pushed him to take to the seas and become a sailor, applying to become a merchant ship’s deckhand.

For years, he traveled and engaged in trade, meeting and befriending multiple people who didn’t care about who or what he was. He felt at home, for the first time in a while.

One day, he met someone. A beautiful halfling woman who seemed to understand him, to love him. Her eyes were so captivating, so blue, they almost made him forget all about the sea. He gave her his heart. She wouldn’t have it. 

He didn’t let himself wallow in heartbreak, though. He knew very well that settling down with a wife or husband wasn’t for him. Soon enough Urthan began to crave for something beyond sailing and trading. He began craving for the world, all of it. He wanted to see everything and everyone, thus, he decided to become an adventurer.

Becoming a barbarian allowed him to fully embrace his orc side and draw the inner, primal rage that came from it. He swore to protect those who aren’t able to protect themselves, and travels from village to village to slay monsters and watch over the weak.

When the moon is high in the sky and the plains quiet, he still finds himself wondering if this is what he wants.

What is he meant to be? Was there anywhere a half-orc, unable to fit in one place or another, could belong?

[milo-my-beloved]

things we don't say

A continuation of the some other life 'verse.

Playlist 🎵 Buy me a cup of tea ☕

Chapter Four: Kaz and Inej (Favourite Ship)

It takes them two hours to perfect their routine.

A clever combination of Kaz's close-up magic and her acrobatics tells the tale of Sankta Margaretha, Ketterdam's patron saint of thieves and lost children. It's a well-known story, and one the wealthy guests at Van Eck's party will love.

Once they've run through their performance a few times, they migrate into the kitchen. It's late — much later than when she usually cooks for herself — and Nina and Matthias can probably hear her stomach rumbling from the other side of the city.

Kaz opens the fridge, stares at it blankly, and then closes it again. "I don't have any food in."

She knew she should have eaten before coming. "It's fine."

"Pizza?"

"Sounds good," she smiles.

He places the order without having to ask what she wants. He knows all of the important things about her; her favourite kind of chocolate (salted caramel), her favourite flower (geraniums, like her mother), and her favourite pizza topping. It's deceptively easy to fall back into their old routines, even though the people they used to be are long gone now.

"It'll be twenty minutes," he says.

Not enough time to run through their routine again, but too long to stand here making awkward conversation. "Do you want to watch a film?"

Kaz tenses, his hand flexing on the head of his cane. "Do you have a particular one in mind?"

She racks a brain for a film that won't make the situation even more uncomfortable. Not a romance. Nothing serious. They need a comedy or something, but not a rom-com — nothing that will remind them of their failed relationship.

"Have you ever watched Now You See Me?" Inej asks.

Kaz shakes his head.

"You'll love it! It's about a group of magicians doing a heist."

He raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. But he follows her into the living room and hands her the remote without arguing with her choice.

By the time the pizza delivery guy rings the doorbell, Kaz has already pointed out five different magic-related inconsistencies. He passes the spicy meat pizza to Inej without taking his eyes off the screen, and shucks off his gloves to eat his strange anchovy-covered concoction.

If he notices the way Inej's gaze lingers on his bare skin, he doesn't say anything.

She tries to refocus her attention on the TV. Her eyes drift over to Kaz whenever she stops paying attention, delighting in the incredulous expression on his pizza-stained face. Every time he yells at the screen she grins like a fool, only to shut it down a few seconds later.

Papa always says that the heart is like an arrow. On the trapeze, it was easy for her to decide on her trajectory, pinning her focus on the next handhold as she soared through the air.

Now, she just wishes her heart would latch on to someone other than Kaz Brekker.

Continue reading under the cut // Continue reading on AO3.

Inej walked to the nearest hotel, still wearing Kaz's oversized shirt and a pair of black sweatpants she found at the top of her bag. Checking in so late felt like a waste of money, but she didn't care. She needed somewhere to be alone for a while.

The first thing she did upon entering her room was to change out of her clothes. The shirt smelt like him — like burnt coffee and foxgloves — and even when she tossed it onto the patterned carpet floor of the Geldrenner hotel, she couldn't rip her eyes from it.

She fell asleep on top of the mattress with the taste of her salty tears on her lips, wearing a band t-shirt Jesper gave her years ago.

When she woke, she forced her head up from the damp pillow and she strode on shaky legs to the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection for a while. What could she say to console the broken girl gazing back at her?

There was one thing she knew for certain: Kaz was too stubborn to come running back to her on his own. They were over, and her perfect summer had come to its abrupt end.

"It's going to be alright," she whispered to her reflection. The girl in the mirror didn't believe her, so she repeated the sentiment. "We're going to be alright. We're going to shower and get dressed, we're going home to mama and papa, and you will not wallow in this pain."

The girl in the mirror held her head a little higher.

"You can't force him to open up to you, but you don't have to watch his past swallow him. It's his loss."

Inej nodded once, a jerky movement, and then did exactly as she said she would. She cleaned the salty residue from her cheeks, braided her hair, and dressed herself in her comfiest clothes. By the time she returned her key to the front desk, her posture was as confident as it always is, even if she didn't feel as brave as usual.

On the bus over to her parents' house, the reality of the situation hit her all over again, and she has yet to recover.

*****

As soon as the film ends, Kaz launches into the rant that he's been saving up for the hour and fifty-five minutes they've been sitting there.

"It makes no sense," he grumbles, carrying their empty pizza boxes into the kitchen. "Did they learn any magic before making this?"

"I thought you said all magic is a con," Inej points out. "So's acting."

He rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean."

She smiles, fetching herself a glass from the cupboard above the sink and filling it with cold water from the tap. "I take it you don't want to watch the sequel, then."

"They made a second one? Who on earth asked for that?"

Inej laughs. It's always hard to tell whether Kaz is playing up his reactions — yet another of his cons — or if he just lowers his guard around her. She takes a sip of water, leaning over the counter. Outside, she hears the first drops of early October rain tapping at the window.

Kaz turns his head to watch the heavens open, and Inej knows they're both thinking about the same thing.

"It's late," Kaz says. "Do you want to stay over?"

Inej puts her glass down before she can drop it. "Is that the best idea?"

His neck stays firmly angled towards the window. He's shutting her out again. Why did she expect anything different? They aren't a couple any more. She has no right to his secrets. If he wants to dig his own grave, she won't be there to watch it after Friday.

Still, she can't help but push her luck. "Where would you have me sleep, Kaz? In the bed you threw me out of?"

He faces her then, his dark eyes searching her face. It's the first time either of them has mentioned that night, and Inej nearly regrets the question.

"I didn't throw you out. You left."

"Because you told me to," she corrects. Anger rises up her throat, threatening to spill out all over Kaz's spotless kitchen tiles. "Past three in the morning."

He looks down at his cane, turning the crow's head away from her. At least he looks ashamed, she thinks, but it doesn't bring her any comfort.

"I told you on the first of those double dates Jesper dragged us to — I'm not the man you think I am."

"You're exactly the man I think you are." She sighs. "That's the problem, Kaz. You were perfect for me. But you can't believe that another person can love you back, so you push us all away because of some imagined future wrongdoing."

He swallows, shaking his head slightly.

"I realised that a long time ago, thanks to your regular warnings. And so has Jesper, and Wylan, and all our other friends. But I wanted to stay. I wanted to be the exception to your rule, because I loved you. But you asked me to leave, and I respected that even though it destroyed me in the process."

She dips her head, focusing her gaze on the cup in front of her as she blinks away traitorous tears. She shouldn't have come here. She didn't intend to pour her heart out in his kitchen, unprompted. But at least this finally might give them closure.

"You don't know what you're asking me to confess." Kaz pauses, choosing his words carefully. "All of what you've said is true. You've just laid out all the reasons why you deserve a better man than me."

Inej shakes her head. "You are that better man, Kaz. You just refuse to see it." She finishes her glass of water in three desperate gulps, placing the cup in the sink carefully before turning back to him. "If you're still offering, I'll sleep on the couch."

He nods. They set up the makeshift bed together, moving the furniture back to where it belongs and spreading out Kaz's spare blankets and pillows. The end result is comfier than her own bed.

He hovers in the doorway as she sits down to unbraid her hair.

"Goodnight, Inej."

"Sleep well, Kaz."

He closes the door softly behind him, and a few minutes later, she hears his cane tapping against the hard wood as he climbs upstairs to his bed.

Inej lies down on the sofa, tugging a blanket up to her chin, and she dreams of Margaretha and her demon. As she drifts off, the demon morphs into Kaz's face, and she wonders whether that is how he sees himself; twisted, crooked, wrong, but still the boy she loves.

[paradisetemporarilymisplaced]

So I was being a basic bitch the other day and listening to my true crime podcasts when it occurred to me just how suspicious Nile’s “death” would look to everyone not in the Guard, leading me to a train of thought that, 2200 words later, absolutely got away from me but I can’t let go so I’m inflicting it on all of you!

To set the stage, we know the movie takes place over approximately a week. Here’s what happens to Nile from the military’s point of view:

She dies is very seriously injured

She heals without a scratch

Just before she’s supposed to be shipped out to Germany, she vanishes, leaving two men concussed (and presumably reporting being knocked out by a woman with short hair wearing civilian clothes)

She goes AWOL for several days

They get word from the CIA that she is to be reported killed in action (details unclear)

So, at the beginning of this very weird week, the USMC has to tell Nile’s family of her death critical injury. What her family was told depends on how long she was dead – a Google search tells me that family will be notified in person within 8 hours of a soldier’s death, but we don’t know how long her first death lasted. For an injury, however, they’d get a phone call to notify them and the unit would arrange for them to visit as soon as the soldier is transferred out of a combat zone. Like I remember when I was in high school, a guy from my church who was a Marine was really seriously injured in a helicopter crash in Iraq and from what I could tell, his parents were told immediately and were flown out to Germany to see him, so it stands to reason that Nile’s family would have been informed relatively quickly after her throat was slashed, one way or another.

And then, she goes AWOL. Her family would be notified while the USMC tried to figure out where she went, not least because the military would want to know if she’s contacted them. (And it’s possible that her family may have been on the way to Germany to see her since we know that’s where she was supposed to go!) So for several days:

Nile’s mom and brother have no idea where she is

They know she was seriously injured and most certainly should not have been moving around on her own

They can’t get a hold of her

The military can’t tell them anything

And the next thing they know for sure is that she was “killed in action.” After being injured and vanishing into thin air. And they presumably cannot produce her body or any concrete evidence of her death. In any case, something sketchy is going on, so they’re like. SMELLS LIKE A MILITARY COVERUP.

In a surprise to probably no one, there is a well-documented legacy of mysterious US military deaths, particularly of women of color (TW for sexual assault in these links). The cases of LaVena Johnson and Vanessa Guillenin particular have made national news because of their families’ persistence in seeking justice. Likewise, Nile is a Black woman, and her mom and brother are most certainly hypercognizant of (a) state violence against Black people and (b) these high-profile cases of suspicious military deaths. So her family are seriously side-eyeing the situation, knowing that (a) the military has a serious incentive (and a documented history) of covering up things that make them look bad and (b) nothing about Nile’s disappearance and supposed death are adding up.

And Andy’s right. Nile does come from warriors. And you know who else does? Her brother.

Don’t get me wrong. Nile’s mom would absolutely not back down. She’d know something was up and want to get to the bottom of it. But based on what I know about Gen X parents (mine), they’re not the most technologically savvy. Like they can use the internet, but they didn’t grow up with it the way we young millennials and Gen Z did. So Nile’s brother takes the lead. And what do zillennials do best?

Social media.

Nile’s brother starts going hard on any site he can, trying to get the word out to see if anyone knows what happened to his sister. He starts a Reddit thread. He starts a Facebook group. He reaches out to the media and true crime bloggers and podcasters à la Sarah Turney, getting loud and being a general nuisance in hopes of getting some answers. He gets his friends and Nile’s friends involved. Maybe eventually Dizzy, Jay, and others from Nile’s unit hear about it and reach out, telling him what they saw and how weird it all was. He’s drumming up interest, and soon “Nile Freeman” becomes a household name (at least among the true crime fans).

Copley is, of course, trying his best, but at this point there is just so much that it’s impossible for him to scrub everything. Sure, he can erase new footage of Nile and the Guard, but what can he do about Reddit threads and podcast episodes that are speculating something weird has happened? Maybe he could hack the sites and shut those things down, but honestly, that’s the last thing he’d want to do, because that only adds weight to the theory that Nile’s disappearance is a military coverup. So eventually he has to tell Andy what’s going on.

Andy, obviously, does not take the news well. However, she is also completely computer illiterate, because that’s Booker’s job and he’s the only one who ever bothered to learn what the internet is in any meaningful way. (She probably calls Booker for advice, and for the record, I think Booker would have no qualms about shutting down conspiracy threads, tinhats be damned, but Copley is too concerned about the consequences. He’s ex-CIA for crying out loud, he knows how it’ll look if they scrub every mention of Nile’s name from the internet.) Maybe she confers with Joe and Nicky but, let’s be honest, they’d be equally unhelpful. So at this point, she knows they have to bring in Nile.

But the thing about Nile is that she, too, knows how to use the internet (duh). Aside from her being a young millennial/digital native, we know from the cave scene where she’s giving Booker suggestions on how to track Copley that she clearly is even more computer savvy than the average person. And for that reason she almost definitely took over the day-to-day tech stuff after Booker’s exile. So I think it would be foolish to expect her to be unaware of what’s happening. She’s not contacting her family or posting on the message boards or anything, but she knows what’s up. So Copley and the team probably sit her down to “break the news,” but we know the girl does not have a poker face (see: literally shooting herself in the foot and not being able to play it cool whatsoever) and cracks immediately, telling them she’s seen everything about her case – she’s not interacting with any of it, she certainly didn’t instigate anything, but she knows. (And she is so goddamn proud of her brother.)

At this point, I’d like to pause and consider Nile’s role in the overall narrative of this movie. She’s set up as a foil to Andy, obviously, but she’s also a foil to Booker. Booker, who, like Andy, is a serious pessimist, but who, unlike Andy, still has very fresh memories and trauma associated with being the new kid, which have destroyed him. In his mind (and Andy’s), if Nile communicates with her family, she’ll become just like him in a century or two – bitter, alone, and stuck with her grief and memories of watching her family die and knowing they died resenting her. It’s a small sample size, but this is the only experience they have to go off of.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

There’s been a lot of discussion of TOG being a fundamentally queer movie – a group of people brought together because of something inherent about themselves that is different, that must be hidden, that causes others to hate, fear, and reject them. Booker’s backstory is the archetypal traumatic “coming out” story – his family learns who he is, hate him for it, and attempt to cast him out of their lives. He’s stuck with his trauma, his pain, his loss, and it consumes him.

But what if Nile’s family would be the opposite? What if her “coming out” to them as immortal is met with acceptance, love, celebration? What if her family is just overjoyed to have her back, and they don’t care what the circumstances are? I'm reminded of this incredible post from @shitty-old-guard-deaths a while back, where Nile’s mother hits Booker with a frying pan because “my baby let me believe she was dead for FIVE YEARS based on your bad advice???” (which may or may not have inspired this whole tangent). Nile takes the advice of someone who did the same thing she wants to do because she doesn’t want to risk her family’s rejection. She wants the good memories with her family and is afraid that showing them her true self will bring her unbearable pain, forever replacing those memories. But, with high risk comes high reward.

Anyway. Nile and the team are trying to come up with a plan for how to handle this whole thing, but she’s not really participating because she’s too afraid to hope. Until finally, quickly, so she doesn’t lose her nerve, she suggests she reach out to them, knowing that, realistically, that’s the only solution before things snowball even further out of control. The team is shocked, but realize that she has a point. They decide that Copley should actually be the first point of contact, posing as a US government official to talk with them and test the waters.

So Copley goes to Nile’s family’s house to talk with her mom and brother. They’re probably distrustful and apprehensive, but nonetheless secretly ecstatic that their work has paid off. They talk and review all of the information that they’ve collected, including testimonials from the people on Nile’s base and recent sightings (along with photos) of Nile (with the same three people) over the last few years that people have sent them but they haven’t posted publicly. At this point, Copley’s like, yeah this is about to blow up, we gotta put our cards on the table. He convinces them to come with him to some safe house/black site/whatever he can get that is technologically impenetrable (I’m picturing them in like, an interrogation room at a police station kind of deal), takes their phones, locks the doors, and brings in Nile.

What follows is the most delightful reunion scene of all time, bringing Joe, Nicky, and even Andy to tears as they watch and listen from outside the room. With Copley’s help, Nile tells her mom and brother about her immortality and what’s been going on since she died (within reason, of course), and they are thrilled. They don’t understand why (because no one does) but they don’t question it and they see it as a gift from God – she’s been resurrected, she will live, and she has a purpose. Her mother and brother are so happy to see her again and are willing to agree with pretty much anything to stay in her life as long as they can.

So. They set up some complicated agreement (they bring in the other three for support/intimidation as needed) setting the terms of their relationship. They swear Nile’s family to secrecy, maybe bringing up the lab to show how high the stakes are, and they readily agree. They come up with some cover story for Nile’s brother to share on the message boards (maybe that the government has opened an investigation but because it’s an open case he has to shut it all down? Tells people to direct their tips somewhere else? Something to that effect). There’s still speculation, of course, but without Nile’s brother at the helm providing the energy, the hype dies down as news stories are wont to do without any movement. And Nile’s family goes to work for the team. The experience has taught them that Copley can’t possibly do everything himself, especially when it comes to social media, so Nile’s brother takes the lead on the day-to-day tracking/social media while Copley and her mom focus on finding jobs and scrubbing their traces afterward.

So there you have it: Nile gets to integrate her biological family into her found family and spend the rest of their lives with them as it should be, Copley gets some badly needed help managing the reality of social media, the team finally has a positive narrative surrounding outsiders Knowing About Them AND about interacting with people from their previous life, and the audience gets the happy ending to this very lovely and very queer story to counteract the pain associated with Booker’s family.

Plus, you know, I’m a sucker for both a good government conspiracy theory and for Nile getting every good thing she deserves.

[thefanficmonster]

Let Them Talk

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female) ft. Sykkuno

Warnings: Swearing, Jealousy

Genre: Fluff, a bit of Angst

Summary: We can all agree Among Us is a fun game on its own but what makes it ten times better is playing it with the right company. Y/N could agree 100% Being a streamer herself, she loves playing with the streamer gang that includes her boyfriend and best friend. But, what happens when her boyfriend starts doubting her feelings for him due to her close relationship with her best friend.

Requested by @cheetoscat . Thank you so much for your request! Sorry it took so long to write, I hope the final product is worth the wait. Enjoy! Love, Vy ❤

Y/AU/N - Your Among Us Name

I settle in my gaming chair, adjusting my webcam one last time before joining the Among Us lobby with my friends. 

“Hi everyone!“ I say into the mic, a smile plastering itself on my face. Discord is a magical thing, man. It’s so easy to forget that the people you are talking to aren’t around you or within arm’s reach. You could be separated by miles and miles of land or - in our case - oceans as well. Distance becomes negligible when you hear your friends’ voices, their laughter; when you have a good time together despite being each behind a screen, often times alone.

Well, I’m one of those lucky ones that isn’t alone. No one knows that, though. Everyone thinks I’m a single, self-employed girl that’s straight out of college. And they are 90% right. Only thing is - I’m not single. That would be a shocker in and of itself, but revealing who’s changed my relationship status would be a bomb with a whole new intensity.

Speaking of my significant other who shall remain unnamed - just kidding, it’s Corpse - his form materializes in the doorway of my recording room. I give him a hand signal the camera isn’t able to capture, alerting him of the fact that my mic is on. He replies by blowing me a kiss and walking off down the hall to his recording room where he’ll be stationed for the next three or so hours.

I owe this relationship to my best friend Sykkuno. I’m a pretty new and not very well known on the platform, however, thanks to him I haven’t only obtained a boyfriend, but a following of a little over million subscribers as well. 

It all started with an invitation to fill a spot in the Among Us lobby him and his friends had created. It took him quite a bit to convince me to join, but I eventually caved and agreed. Suddenly, there I was. In a Discord call, in an Among Us lobby with some of the most well-known names on this platform. I’m talking YouTube legends. I was that puppy playing with the big dogs. The newbie tagging along with the big leagues. Or at least that’s how I felt until we all started vibing - talking and teasing each other as though we’ve known each other for years and not minutes.

When I joined the call, Corpse wasn’t present. After everyone else introduced themselves, Sykkuno informed me that we were waiting for Corpse to return. The name sounded really cool to me and I was genuinely very excited to meet this Corpse guy.

And then, out of the blue - no prep, no warning...

“Did you get someone to fill the spot? Oh- Hello, Y/AU/N.“ 

…he started talking and he had me star-struck. Apparently, he also had me a blabbering mess cause I remember blurting out: “Whoa, who’s this guy speaking in bold and underlined at the same time?”

The entire lobby, including Corpse, laughed. Sean, or Jack like they called him most often, answered my question, “That is the voice of God, Y/N. Its source is named Corpse, though.”

Heat spread from the bottom of my neck to the tips of my ears. I was mortified by my own stupidity. I was well aware they couldn’t see me and I was incredibly thankful for that, but I simply could not get myself to open my eyes. “I’m so sorry.” I said through nervous laughter.

“No, no, I like that description. Bold and underlined at the same time, huh?“ His voice sounded even more pleasant when it had that teasing, mischievous note to it. That thought popping up in my head only made things worse for my self-esteem and only made me more embarrassed, causing me to hide my face in my hands. “You sure it’s not in Italics as well?“ 

His question got a weak laugh out of me. “Nope, definitely not. Nothing Italic about it.“

Yes, I don’t even know how some terrible jokes about MS Word fonts got me as far as a romantic relationship, but they did! We’ve been living together for quite some time now, dating for even longer - hiding it just as long. It’s not that we have been actively trying to hide it or something, we just wanted to see how long it would take someone to become sus of us. When we realized no one would notice, we decided that if any rumors about us started, or even fans shipping us, we’d come clean. That hasn’t happened either, so we haven’t had the proper chance to address our relationship and neither of us minds.

At this point, I’m honestly afraid of revealing it to the gaming squad. Sykkuno especially. He’s my best friend, after all. I can see him being hurt by the fact that I kept a secret so big even from him. The last thing I wanna do is hurt my best friend but it’s already too late for that, it’s inevitable.

“Y/N have you looked at Twitter today?“ Rae, another streamer I’ve become close with over the months, says urgently.

Overlooking the tension in her words, I answer: “Nope, haven’t had the time. Why? What’s up?“

Before Rae can say anything else, Sykkuno joins the conversation, his voice somehow even more urgent than Rae’s. “It’s nothing, Y/N. If you see it, just don’t let it bother you, ok?”

Hearing such a tone from Rae isn’t unusual, but hearing it from Sykkuno is completely different and a lot more worrisome. “Well if it has the potential of bothering me it can’t be nothing. What’s going on?”

Just then, my phone dings with two notifications. I check to see they are messages from Rae.

“I sent you screenshots. Sorry, Sykkuno. She has to know in order to address it and defuse it as well. I know better than anyone how fast these rumors can spread, especially if no one reacts to them.“ She says, her tone barely apologetic at all.

I open the screenshots she has sent me and I find myself frozen in shock. Some old pictures of Sykkuno and I have been posted on Twitter by some random user. These pictures have started an entire thread of suspicions surrounding our relationship.

The pictures in question are from a New Year’s Eve party a mutual friend of ours held two years ago. Sure, in the pictures we are a lot closer than what would be considered a platonic proximity. And yes one of the pictures is of me kissing his cheek. Yes we were both a bit tipsy. I acknowledge all those things and yet none of them are concrete reasons for these rumors to have started piling. 

“This is silly.“ I finally say after maybe five minutes of silence on my end. ”This is absolutely ridiculous! And why are people so serious about it as well? Actual, important matters get discussed more nonchalantly than the potential relationship between two online personalities! What is this world we live in?“ I know I shouldn’t let these rumors get to me like this, especially not on camera. Still, I can’t help it. I feel it’s so unfair to Corpse. He has to put up with this as well and it’s by no means easy for him. I’ve been shipped with people from our group in the past and he always took those rumors to heart despite acting like he didn’t care. Neither of us should get worked up, but him getting upset about them creates a domino effect with my emotions - causing me to be hit just as hard as him, in some cases harder.

Rumors of the past aside, this one is the worst by far. Mostly cause even Corpse himself suspected something between Sykkuno and I at the very beginning, when we were still acquaintances, barely crossing into the realm of friends.

I pull up Twitter to look for the whole thread, barely sparing my stream chat a glance in the process. It seems pretty split - those who agree with me and those who think Sykkuno and I make ‘such an adorable couple’. The thread is ridiculously long, and if we take into account that it was only started approximately five hours ago, you can either view it as impressive, amusing or sad. Why sad? Because someone has dedicated so much time and effort into fueling the fire of a weakly supported theory.

I love Sykkuno with all my heart. Everyone knows that - fandom, streamer squad, Corpse and Sykkuno included. I love too much and too platonically to ever even dream of having a romantic connection with him. I thought that was more than obvious, but people are either blind here, or just grasping at straws. One thing’s for certain - they’re stepping on a nerve.

“Hey where’s Corpse? Did he disconnect?” Felix asks, gaining my full attention. My eyes dart to the monitor, searching through the little avatars in a desperate search for the one of my boyfriend. It’s nowhere to be found.

“He just messaged me saying his connection is unstable but he might join us later.“ Rae says, “You guys can invite someone to fill...“

“Bathroom break.“ I interrupt, not waiting for a response before shutting my mic off, putting the ‘BRB‘ graphic on my stream and yanking the headset off. I basically run down the hall to Corpse’s recording room, my heart pounding like a bass drum.

“Corpse?!“ I call out to him, one hand already on the doorknob. When five seconds pass by without a response, I barge in. 

Inside, I find his usual spot on the gaming chair empty and his slumped figure seated on his bed.

“Corpse?“ I try again, watching for even the tiniest change of body language. He remains still as a statue, not bothering to look up at me either. 

His hands are gripping the edge of the mattress, his head hanging low. His eyes are covered by the short curtain of his dark messy curls. I can’t gauge much. Is he angry? Is he sad? Both? How should I approach the situation?

Before I find the answer to any of those questions, I am kneeling in front of him, our height difference eliminated. I gently pry his hands off the mattress and take them in mine, holding them firmly but tenderly. With one hand I reach up to tilt his head so his eyes can meet mine. He complies, his tear-filled brown orbs meeting mine. Those tears have the same effect on me as fifty sharp knives stabbing into my chest. These tears focus their attack straight on my heart, tearing it to pieces.

“Baby....“

He cuts me off, “Why is it always someone else, huh? Do they deem me not worthy of being with you? Do they think you deserve better?” His voice wavers, “Well, they might be right. They are correct and there’s little I can do to prove them wrong. They mean you well, Y/N - pairing you with guys better than me. Those are some loyal fans you’ve got. They only want what’s best for you. And so do I. If ‘best’ is being with someone else then...”

It’s my turn to cut him off. I put an end to his nonsense ramble that’s slowly killing me by pressing my finger against his lips. The sternness of my gaze is beyond me as I get up and walk over to his computer setup. I put on his headset and hop into the call as well as the lobby with his avatar.

“Hey Corpse’s back!” Toast says, “Good to have you back buddy.”

“No, not Corpse.” I say in a casual, nonchalant voice.

“Wait, wha-“ Sean’s voice shows just how confused he is, representing the confusion of the entire lobby actually.

“I know all of you are streaming so this message will be heard by several different audiences so I’m gonna make myself perfectly clear.“ I take a deep breath, “Sykkuno and I aren’t dating. He’s a lovely guy and he deserves to find a girl who will treat him right. That girl isn’t and won’t be me though. I am already treating someone right. Someone who treats me more than right as well. An amazing person. A man-child with a heart of gold. You know him, to a certain extent. He goes by the name of Corpse Husband, but I prefer to call him ‘Love of my life’. Thank you for your time and attention, goodbye.“

I exit the call and turn around to find a stunned Copse looking at me.

“That was meant for you just as much.“ I say with a fake strict attitude, one hand on my hip the other rested on his desk behind me, “Were you listening?“

Within milliseconds, he’s on his feet standing directly in front of me, his lips inches away from mine. “I heard and memorized every word. But...” he pauses for a moment, “I think you have no idea how big of a chaos you just created.”

I smile mischievously, “We’ll worry about that later. For now...” I close the gap between us, connecting our lips in a sweet and passionate kiss. 

@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams  @the-fuck-up-of-today  @slashersdream  @chiefwombathoagiepizza  @solowheein @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01

[morifinwes]

wangxian fic rec list!

aka in which i read fics, write some recs down for aamna and share them!! they're all wangxian fics and uhh @yibobibo i hope you'll like them!!

modern

wolf devours playboy bunny by @greenteafiend (5K, werewolf!lwj, getting together, idk if anyone needs to know that but there's nudity just not uhh explicit)

Lan Zhan has wanted Wei Ying as long as he has known him, and the worst part is that he thinks Wei Ying could want him back.

Too bad he could never in good conscience let himself go there—Wei Ying has a debilitating fear of all things canine, and once a month, Lan Zhan is the exact, precise thing that Wei Ying’s nightmares are made of.

Aka, Lan Zhan is a werewolf.

between the lines by @jywait (19K gaming au!!!, i'm always down for a good gaming au, lwj is the best aksks he's such a good boy)

☆yilingpatriarch☆: pls...give me some face, help me fight these monsters...I'm gonna die

Bluetooth: no.

"You have died." The screen said, and Wei Wuxian threw his hands up in frustration.

resonant frequencies by chinxe (15K, college au, fake dating au, tw mention of cheating but it's brief and no one was cheated on i promise)

In which Wei Wuxian decides that the best way to deal with being in love with Lan Wangji is to pretend to date him for three weeks.

It goes about as well as can be expected.

drift compatible by windoworwhatever (5K, poetry, fluff, drunkji, getting together, college au)

"It was just a fact of life. The sky was blue, university stipends for graduate students working in TA positions barely covered rent, bisexuals cuffed their jeans, Lan Wangji had a massive crush on Wei Wuxian, and spent his time pining and writing research papers about gay subtexts in ancient poetry."

OR

Lan Wangji is in love with Wei Wuxian, and everybody knows, except Wei Wuxian.

the bunny next door by detailsinthefabric (43K, this is mostly fluff and very light angst, and they were neighbors!!!, rabbits!!, aka wangxian's bunny children, this is... so cute i just have to rec it)

Lan Wangji did not know what he was doing. He did not know what he was going to say. He was frozen in place, puzzling over the situation. Maybe he had made the man uncomfortable, which is why he wanted to leave? But his tone had still been so friendly—maybe…

“Would…” he paused, swallowed, forced the last words to come out of his suddenly parched mouth, “would you let me pet him?”

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

Lan Wangji, who doesn't know how to socialize and whose icy demeanor scares everyone away, lets down all his defenses when he meets the bunny next door...oh, and also its owner, Wei Wuxian.

leading tone by silencemostofall (32K, everyone is a music student? or something like that akskk, curse fic, tw panic attacks, tw child abuse, small scene of drunkji, wwx has low self esteem, bro this was so painful to read)

The first time you touch someone you're fated to love, you leave a mark on their skin. If they will love you in return, they'll mark you where you touched them. The deeper the color, the deeper the connection.

Wei Ying has no marks at all.

public places, private thoughts by leahelisabeth (for the love of camelot) ( 8K, cherry magic au, getting together with like... immediate upgrade to fiance status, the author is wrong i crave good wangxian cherry magic aus even tho i haven't even watched cherry magic)

Wei Wuxian had heard the story of course. It had made its rounds through his high school and followed him into his college days. He didn’t think there was any possibility it was true. Virginity was a social construct, invented by creepy old men to exercise dominance over women. The idea that a simple lack of sexual activity before the age of thirty could give one magical powers was absolutely ludicrous.

Wei Wuxian believed this until the morning of his thirtieth birthday.

AKA the Wangxian Cherry Magic AU that absolutely nobody asked for.

i'd be all right (if i could see you) by @thirtysixsavefiles (16K, this was nice, i read this at 6am but it was cute, (while writing this post i must admit i don't remember anything but 6am-me said it's good))

The younger Lan brother is something of an enigma on campus; while Lan Xichen can sometimes be seen in the company of other graduate students or conducting a seminar, Lan Wangji appears to spend all his time in class or in the library. He doesn’t drink. He doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t attend social events. He doesn’t do anything for fun, as far as Wei Wuxian can tell, and it’s driving Wei Wuxian just a little bit up the wall.

Or, Wei Wuxian convinces Lan Wangji to come to a house party, and then they're assigned to the same group project. Wei Wuxian tries his best, but he is not in possession of all the facts.

axe on leg by itszero (4K, i still don't get why wwx did that but it was nice seeing him jealous for once, jealous!wwx, lwj i love you....)

Wei Wuxian pressed his face into his pillow and screamed. He paused to take a few deep breaths, partially hindered by the pillow, and listened to the sounds of Nie Huaisang slurping his iced coffee, from his seat on Wei Wuxian's desk chair.

Having caught his breath, he resumed his screaming and did not stop at the sound of his dorm room door opening.

"What's wrong with him?" He heard his brother, Jiang Cheng, ask.

The slurping stopped. "He's an idiot."

"He's always been an idiot. Why is he bothered about it now?"

"He forced Lan Wangji to go on a date," Nie Huaisang replied, shaking the ice cubes in his drink.

"Okay and…?"

"With someone else." The slurping resumed.

Wei Wuxian, in all his glorious dumbassery, convinces his boyfriend to go on a date with someone else.

these two most powerful by @stiltonbasket (4K, amnesia, wangxian with children!!!, aksksk this was adorable, dadji!!)

When Lan Wangji went to bed last night, he was alone in a tiny guest room with nothing but the howling of the wind in the mountains and his own lonely thoughts for company.

 

But when he opened his eyes in the morning, Wei Ying was asleep beside him.

 

(In which Lan Wangji loses twenty years' worth of memories after a night-hunt gone wrong, and his life as a doting father and husband continues without a hitch somehow.)

good things come to those who wait [but i ain't in a patient phase] by @cerlunas (4K, getting together, pining lwj)

Lan Wangji can't take it anymore.

 

“I love you”, he says, and god, it feels terrifying. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time.”

“Lan Zhan…” Wei Wuxian starts, but Lan Wangji doesn’t want to hear it.

He grabs his cup and drinks everything. He doesn’t know what face Wei Wuxian is making at him right now, and it’s okay. 

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian repeats louder, but it’s too late. He is already falling asleep.

Or, even after 13 years, Lan Wangji is still in love with his best friend. Maybe it's time to open up.

wei ying, will you marry m- oh my god he swallowed the ring! by selene210 (2K, marriage proposals, crack, marriage proposals but.. they go wrong)

“A ring?”

And indeed it was. The ring Lan Wangji was going to propose to Wei Ying with. That the man had now choked on.

“You swallowed it.”

“It was in my soufflé! Why did you put a ring in my soufflé Lan Zhan- oh. oh”

of glittery valentine's cards by @soft-fics (3K, valentine's day, this was adorable aksk, a-yuan best boy!!)

Lan Zhan didn't want to know what his best friend had planned for Valentine's Day; his heart would simply not be able to handle it. When his son tells him that he made Wei Ying a Valentine's Day card, though, Lan Zhan decided to bring it over anyway.

of coffee and white tea by @soft-fics (9K, fluff, lwj doesn't like coffee, wwx buys him coffee, then they switch drinks, again and again and again, the staff ships it lmao, tbh jc shouldn't have done that like wtf)

For the fourth time this week a stranger orders him a cup of coffee. Lan Wangji wonders how exactly to tell this man to stop ordering him coffee he doesn't even like. Turns out, buying the other white tea and switching drinks is not the best way to go about it

canon setting

on the importance of restraint (or lack thereof) by nixthothou (4K, in which sizhui snaps, i love that boy, no like seriously he's the best boy)

Lan Sizhui does not usually find himself in the company of Sect Leader Jiang.

Suffice to say, Lan Sizhui's feelings toward him are conflicted.

lan wangji is wei wuxian's baby by lilycs (3K, i was craving fluff while reading this, lwj my beloved, drunk!lwj)

Lan Wangji gets drunk from barely a cup of alcohol, becoming a whiny baby and asking his husband for cuddles.

one of our own by glitteringmoonlight (8K, wei wuxian & lan sect, 5+1 things, in which they learn to love him, they're all part of the wwx protection squad lead by lwj, wangxian isn't the focus but !!! THIS)

Times change, but some people remain the same.

The Lans are nothing, if not aware of this.

For one of their own, they will stand against the world.

Or, 5 times the Lans defended Wei Wuxian, and the 1 time he was there to see it happen.

so why not crack your skull when the mind swells by @greenteafiend (13K, love curse, post cql canon, curses, getting together, fluff, so much fluff, lwj tries to talk about his emotions!, lwj pov)

Lan Wangji detects the curse trying to curl through his heart meridians like smoke. A love curse, then. It must have been cast remotely somehow to have found him in his bed in Cloud Recesses. No matter. Lan Wangji crushes it easily, enveloping it in his spiritual energy, and then squeezing. Curse averted, Lan Wangji closes his eyes and goes back to sleep. He thinks no more of it.

Two days later, Wei Wuxian arrives in Cloud Recesses.

Or, Wei Wuxian is cursed to feel terrible pain when he and Lan Wangji aren’t touching.

i started from the bottom / now i'm rich by x_los (57K, time travel, fix it, jealous lwj, crack treated serious, god this is so good tho, wwx/wrh & wwx/jgs but like as a joke and it doesn't really happen, but it has its purpose!!)

“First, you get the money. Then you get the power, respect - hos come last.”

 

Wen Qing traps Wei Wuxian in the Demon Slaughtering Cave, but Wei Wuxian isn’t interested in being the beneficiary of the Wen Remnants’ noble sacrifice. His efforts to free himself accidentally send him back to the beginning of the Sunshot Campaign. Coreless but armed with demonic cultivation, knowledge of the future and his wits, Wei Wuxian takes advantage of this opportunity to come out on top of both the war and its aftermath—before either has a chance to happen—by marrying and swiftly burying the cultivation world’s worst men.

Lan Wangji is confused, hurt, and uncomfortably aroused by Wei Wuxian’s improbably elaborate series of Sect-themed bridal negligees.

lead me on through by mrsronweasley (55K, they're in love your honor, arranged marriage but they don't know to whom, basically wwx & lwj want to practice kissing which then goes beyond kissing but not the whole way y'know, lxc the best wingman tho)

"Who do you think your betrothed is?" Wei Wuxian asks, sprawling out in front of Lan Zhan and enjoying the prim thinning of his lips at the question. He shouldn't be sprawling—they're in the library, for one, and Lan Zhan is studying, for another—but he can't help himself. Wei Wuxian is a sprawler.

"I do not believe this to be of importance," Lan Zhan responds, without turning his gaze away from his book.

"What!" Wei Wuxian sits up. "How can you say that? Of course it's important! This is the person you'll be with for the rest of your life, Lan Zhan."

[rwrights]

WE'LL BE OKAY - NAT.

summary : nat and you never got along. reasons still unknown, but it was affecting the whole team. steve assigns you both to a mission, with natasha acting harshly. she said something to you before heading off. she got in your head and the aftermath wasn't so pretty.

contents : angst (??) / fluff

warnings : mentions of blood, guns, bullying, cursing and just occasional marvel fight scenes.

NOT PROOFREAD. a/n : my first fic aaaahhh !! i was inspired by a lot of similar fics like this, but mostly by this WANDA FIC WRITTEN BY @/maximons - i suggest you give it a read BCS ITS SO GOOD ARRGH <3

you don’t know how the feud started between you and natasha. you couldn’t tell if it was because of your age or because you were new.

you had quite an age gap with the former assassin, being a striking 24 years old, but according to the russian - you might as well have been 12 years of age.

unlike most of the avengers, you had a decent childhood. it wasn’t filled with trauma, and death, and basically what some of them unfortunately went through. you grew up in the suburbs with your mum and two older siblings. you got all the toys you wanted and everyone loved you! because of that, you were always polite and cheery - it’s what made people like you. you were funny and usually managed to put a smile on people faces ; usually.

natasha found your positivity irking and unnatural. how could someone be so, happy? she felt as if you were shitting rainbows down her throat, and god, did she hate it. how could someone like you even have the guts to be an avenger?

she enjoyed picking fights with you out of nowhere, and as fun as it was at first - the hostility only progressed and became a disruption to the whole team, including you. you tried your best to really become friends with natasha - or at least be civil with her. but the more effort you made, the worse she treated you. all you wanted to do was make it a little easier for the team, you all have enough crap to put up with and the quarreling between the both of you was definitely not needed.

─── donk.

“nat! y/n! conference room one, now!” steve’s loud voice called out through the speakers placed throughout the compound.

you set your book aside before running down to the conference room as you were told. you walked passed natasha, already giving you a sharp glare from afar. she adjusted her speed and basically ran to where away from you. you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at her as you trailed behind.

you entered the room, greeting everyone politely before sitting down next to wanda, who saved a space for you.

“alright, now that we’re all here..” cap began, walking around the table where you were all sat. “we’ve got a mission for two of you,”

“did you call us here to compete for it? because i am so getting this mission.” natasha stated, pointing at everyone as if she was threatening them. “uh, no.. not exactly. we’ve already assigned the mission to two of you..”

“who?” she asked, wanting to leave the compound immediately and get some action (not the peepee way).

“you and y/n,”

hearing your name, you just froze. you couldn’t help but stare at steve as if he was out of his mind.

“what?!” natasha squeaked. “i’m sorry, but there is no way i’m going with her. it’s probably best if i go on my own!”

“that’s just mean..” you replied quietly, in your seat. you weren’t in the mood to argue, so you tried to contribute as little as possible into this conversation. “cap, if natasha doesn’t want to do the mission with me, i’m totally fine with sitting this one out.”

“oh, don’t suck up and use your y/n reverse psychology on this. it’s not gonna work,” she spat, obviously mad about the whole situation. “nat, i’m being serious. i know how much you’ve been dying to go out, so please. just take it.”

“no, y/n, you’re going with nat. we’ve decided this already.” steve stepped in, trying his best to set his foot down. “steve, i think you know this isn’t going to happen.” natasha glared.

“you either go together or y/n takes someone else.”

“steve! i swear i’m fine!” you argued, seeing how natasha’s ears were practically steaming from anger. “i-”

“no, you know what? fine. enjoy your mission, y/l/n.” she growled as she stormed out of the room. you couldn’t do anything but watch as she slammed the door shut. as much as you wanted to chase after her, you and everyone else in the room knew you’d probably make the situation a thousand times worse for natasha. you sighed and slammed your head on the table in exhaustion.

“we’re sorry, y/n. we thought her need for a mission would make her say yes even with the partnership.” bucky said from the other side of the room. your head shot up almost as quickly as you blinked. “what do you mean?”

“we thought sending you two on a mission together could… make the arguing stop - even by a little.” steve explained, sighing. you laughed at them, did they really think that would work? did they know the obstacles you went through to try to get on her good side? your first few weeks were HELL because of it.

“it’s alright.. clint? what do ya say?”

“always up for a mission, y/l/n.” he smiled, giving you a fistbump.

─── donk.

clint knocked on natasha’s door after the meeting. “nat? it’s me,” he called, nat opening the door a few seconds after.

“can you believe them? they know how much i dislike her and they’d send me on a mission with her? Bozhe mo! (oh my god!)”

“nat, y/n is awesome. it’s been months, it’s getting tiring.”

“oh, please. it took forever to get any of you guys to trust me. doesn’t mean it has to be the same with her.”

��nat, she’s a kid!”

“ugh, don’t say it like that. it makes my thoughts uneasy..” nat replied, mock-gagging. clint glared at her as he playfully shoved her. “you’re so stupid.”

“and oh, i’m going on the mission with her.”

“wait what?! but you’re my best friend, why would you take it!” she exclaimed. “i never say no to a mission, nat. you and i both know that. i thought you did, too.”

“i would’ve taken it, but.. no! i’m not losing this fight.” she huffed as she fell on the bed. “turn the tv on, i need to distract myself.”

he did as he was told and decided to stay and watch with her until dinner.

─── donk.

it was the day of your mission and you were making your way to the hangar. to your surprise, you saw natasha waiting there. you smiled at her only to receive another sharp glare. yeah, what a surprise. you looked away and decided to wait for clint.

not long after he arrived and said his goodbyes to natasha, just as you were going to aboard the ship, she grabbed your wrist and whispered in your ear.

“you’re gonna trip and get yourself shot, y/l/n.”

“what the hell? i’ve barely left and you’re already telling me i’m gonna fuck up?” you retorted, angrily. you weren’t in the right state to panic or stress. especially not before you were leaving. “have fun, y/n.” she smiled, dripping in faux kindness.

you followed clint onto the ship and couldn’t help but shake in fear. great, now you were worried. you didn’t want to fuck up. you weren’t planning to.

“you’ll be okay, y/l/n. i’ve got your back.” clint reassured, seeing the panic clouding on your face.

“thank you..” you mumbled, but natasha’s words never left your head.

─── donk.

“something seems off, clint.” you whispered, looking around and keeping your guard up. “i agree, y/l/n. it’s too quiet.. too easy.” he replied.

just as you were going to reply, someone charged at you from behind, getting a hold of your throat. by instinct, you kicked his shin and flipped him around. “clint!” you called out as you knocked your attacker out.

suddenly, groups of people were coming towards you - fully armed. “clint!” you screamed, pulling your gun out and shooting as many of them as you could. “shit!”

“y/n, it’s a trap!” clint finally replied, making you roll your eyes as you threw your fist at a guy’s temple. “yes, clint, i’m aware!”

“keep your guard up, y/l/n. you can do this!”

“there’s-” kick. “too many-” elbow. “of them!” shoot.

“try to hold out for as long as possible! i’m on my way,”

you looked up to see more men charging at you. “ah fuck,”

you grabbed one of the guns from the guys you managed to knock out and aimed. “clint, i can shoot right?” you asked for permission, not knowing if you were supposed to kill them or just simply knock them out.

“yes, y/n. you can shoot.”

“thank you!”

you silently thanked god for the gun you chose and started shooting at the guards. you quickly threw it away as they ran out of bullets and grabbed two pistols and continued to run and shoot away.

as you focused on getting a certain guard, one of them slid under you, quite literally slipping you off your feet - probably making you twist your ankle, giving one of them an opportunity to get a clean shot of your thigh.

the bullet went through your thigh, making you scream in pain. “fuck!” you shot back at him immediately and slid up onto the wall.

well great, another thing natasha was right about.

“y/n?!” clint called, hearing you scream. the worry in his voice was evident, it managed to make you smile for a second until you dodged another bullet.

“i’m okay!”

no, you weren’t. you could barely stand with your fucked up ankle and the hole in your thigh, but you continued to shoot and fight.

“just.. hurry up, please!”

you used your bad leg to kick a guy down and use him as a ledge. you cursed as you ran out of bullets. there were guns scattered across the floor, thanks to you. you just grabbed the nearest ones and looked back up.

as quickly as you did, a shot went through your shoulder and your abdomen. “gah fuck!” you collapsed on the floor as you tried to control the bleeding. you got up for a second to shoot back at the closest people and went back down. “clint, hurry up!” the pain was too much, the bleeding wouldn’t stop and your ankle looked like a fucking bean. you started to get nauseous, but tried your best to stay up.

“i’m here!” he yelled as he aimed at a few people in front of him. he ran towards you, finally seeing your state. “oh my god!” he kneeled down, putting pressure on your wounds to help with the bleeding, but the blood just kept seeping through “you just said you were okay, idiot!”

“i know, i didn’t want to worry you..” you mumbled. “no, no! y/n, you have to stay awake. come on!” he picked you up and started running away to go back to the ship. “you’re okay, y/n. tell me you’re okay right now.”

“i’m okay.. i’m okay, clint.”

“yeah, yeah, you are.”

you tried making it to the ship, but you were already so tired. “i’m gonna nap, clint..” you said before passing out.

─── donk.

clint alerted steve about you right when you passed out. they were rushing you out to the med bay to perform surgery on your injuries.

“she told me she was okay, steve. i thought she was okay!” clint screamed, he blamed himself for what happened to you. only if he arrived a few seconds before. you wouldn’t have been in the situation you’re in now.

“no, no. this isn’t your fault. neither is it hers, it happens, okay? we put ourselves at risk every time we step out of here. y/n was brave, alright?

wanda rushed down to the medbay, reaching for the door before pulling her back. “wanda, we have to let dr cho do her job right now. she’ll be okay.. y/n will be okay.”

she cried into steve’s shoulder - her best friend was being operated on. you were being operated on! the thought of you getting hurt never crossed her mind because she knew you were strong.

the team soon heard about the incident and let their worries out, obviously caring about you. natasha was confused about the whole hassle.

“vision!” she called out. he turned around and walked towards natasha. “how may i help you?”

“what’s the hassle about? everyone keeps whispering,”

“mr barton and ms y/l/n have returned from their mission, but ms y/l/n has suffered some major injuries and has been in surgery for about an hour now-”

hearing that, she sped to the medbay, thanking vision quickly. she saw wanda, steve and clint waiting around. “no, no, where is she?!” she yelled, making the three of them look at her in shock. “she’s still in-”

she tried running into the room like wanda did, getting pulled back by steve. “natasha, we have to let dr. cho do her job.”

“i need to see her!” she exclaimed, not being able to breathe. “what happened to her? what major injuries?!” she demanded.

“broken ankle, shot through her thigh, shoulder and abdomen..” clint recited, looking down at his feet. “where were you!? how could you let this happen?!” she roared, genuinely shocking them.

why did she suddenly care about you? well, yes, you suffered major injuries, but why was she getting mad?

“natasha! enough!” steve scolded. “this isn’t clint’s fault, and you know it.” he said, sternly. she didn’t reply as she panted. wanda held her hand as support, needing it for herself as well.

─── donk.

an hour later, dr. cho finally walked out of the room. everyone stood up in eagerness.

“is she okay?” steve asked, immediately.

“y/n suffered major blood loss, but we are lucky none of the three bullets hit any major arteries. she has also quite definitely broken her ankle, so i’m putting her on bedrest for at least 6 weeks until you get her up and going again.”

“main point, yes. y/n is okay.”

a smile broke out in all of their faces. “thank you, doc!”

“you may see her now, but she hasn’t woken up yet. don’t be too loud.”

they all walked into your room and stood beside your bed. “she looks so peaceful,”

“she definitely looks better right now than earlier,” clint joked, earning a soft laugh from the three of them. they stood by you for a while until natasha spoke up.

“um.. could- could i be the one who stays with her until she wakes up?”

they looked at the red head in surprise, “are you sure, nat?” steve asked.

“yeah.. i just want to be here.”

“alright,” they smiled softly at her before leaving.

she held your hand and stayed with you, waiting for you to wake up. it took for a while so she managed to fall asleep, holding your hand.

you slowly started coming back, groaning from the late pain you experienced. natasha jumped in shock and saw that you were awake.

“you’re awake!” she whispered, making you turn to her. “natasha? what’s happening?”

“you passed out during your mission. i know i told you you’d slip and get shot.. but i didn’t actually mean slip and get shot, idiot!” she scolded, flicking your forehead. “gah! it was an accident, i was doing fine,”

“no, you have three holes in your body. and not the good ones,”

“nat??” you replied, shocked. “did you just joke around with me?”

“no..”

“you’re holding my hand.. what did they bribe you with?” you asked, quickly getting suspicious. you tried pulling your hand away, but she only held onto you tighter. “nothing! i.. i volunteered. ask steve and wanda! and clint!” she replied, defending herself quickly.

“well, if you volunteered.. what do you want from me? i’m not gonna be leaving the compound for at least 2 months, so you can have all my missions-”

“no, y/n. truthfully, i just really want to apologize.”

“huh”

“i know i’ve made your first few weeks really hard and even after being here for months, i still managed to.. you know.. make it hard for you. in full honesty, i genuinely don’t know why i’ve been so horrible to you. i had a hard time opening up to people - and.. you were just so welcoming and i got scared. not an excuse for my actions, by the way! i was horrible and i’m so sorry.”

“thank you for your apology, i forgive you, nat.” you smiled, squeezing her hand. “i also.. have feelings for you.” natasha added, avoiding eye-contact with you. “you whAT?!”

“i-”

“i like you too! but are- are you serious?”

“yes, y/n… i like you. guess that’s why i was so defensive about.. literally everything.”

“nat.. thank you. for opening up to me. it genuinely means so much - especially after all this fucking time, you asshole.”

“are we okay now?” she asked, hopeful.

“yes, nat. we’re okay.”